For better, for worse
by Aku-Ichigo
Summary: After living together as lovers for seven years, the couple finally decides to take their relationship to the next step. Across their journey towards marriage lies an unreasonable brother, a well-hidden secret from the past and a certain stalker's mysterious phone calls. Rated M for obvious reasons.
1. Ideas

Chapter 1: Ideas

**Update:** After thinking for a veeeery long time, I've decided to split this chapter in two as it is too long to read for some people. So if you're searching for the smut part, feel free to skip to the second chapter: That's where the action is. *winks*

**A/N:** I really don't know how this chapter became so frickin' long, it just... did! I hope you will enjoy it anyway~

Big thanks to my senpai and Elena , because without you guys I'd still complain about being too lazy to write this story.

**Warning: **This story will contain smut, foul language, violence, drug abuse, overuse of the word 'god', ooc-ness (to moderate extent), typos and bad grammar, because me no can speak engrish.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Junjou Romantica, there would be more smut in season two.

* * *

_"...What was that again?" Misaki asked, visibly stunned from what he had just heard. _

_This couldn't be real, everything was like a dream. The fancy restaurant, the ring at the bottom of his champagne glass, Akihiko kneeling in front of him and spelling out the words every teenage girl was waiting for her whole life. _

_"Will you marry me?" the novelist repeated, voice soaking those delicate words in sweetness. His lavender eyes were sparkling with excitement for his lover's answer. _

_"Oh, Akihiko-san!" the boy exclaimed, his hands covering his o-shaped mouth. Obviously, the surprise had been a great success as Misaki was speechless, his eyes switching between the handsome man's amethyst orbs and the other sparkling object held high between the man's thumb and index finger. _

_The scene could have been mistaken for one of those soap operas Aikawa-san was always gushing about when she was not on editor mode. Everything around them seemed so perfect, so bright, so beautiful._

_So surreal._

_"Akihiko..." Misaki mumbled, his expression suddenly switching from excitement to confusion. Before the man could even consider what just had gone terribly wrong, the bright surrounding was fading slowly, mixing together like an oil painting. What was left of the once beautiful scenery was nothing but a dark mess around them. _

_"What gave you the idea that I'd ever get married with someone like you?" the boy asked. His voice was calm, but the words he had just spoken weighted heavily on Usami. He felt like he had just been hit by a car, a giant rock or something equally heavy and painful. _

_The boy snorted, his emerald eyes looked like they were losing their rich colour. "How pitiful," he spat. The witnesses around them were laughing cruelly. "Pitiful... pitiful..." they whispered. _

_"Thinking that you would be the one for me. I had expected a bit more intelligence of you," remarked Misaki. The shadows were giggling with amusement again. Akihiko felt like he was in a bad dream, his heart was aching and his body seemed to be numb. He couldn't feel anything but betrayal, disappointment and even hatred. Hatred for himself, for thinking he could be good enough for the young boy he was in love with. The only person who had seen him weak, whom he had spent so many years with. He had thought the boy was happy, but he surely hadn't expected such a reaction from his lover. _

_"I will never be together with you. __**Never**__!" came the words from Misaki's lips. Usami's world shattered into pieces under his feet, and he fell into darkness._

_xxx_

Akihiko's eyes shot open.

He managed to wriggle himself out of the warm bedsheets to rest on his ellbows, a drop of cool sweat trailing its way down the male's forehead. His labored breathing slowed down when he realised he had just awoken from a dream. A very bad dream, to say the least. Sighing out in relief, he felt something on his left shift in discomfort.

Misaki was sleeping peacefully beside him, one hand was resting next to his face. Akihiko reached out for it, linked their digits together and brought them to his lips, caressing the boy's delicate fingers with gentle kisses as his mind slipped into deep thoughts.

It had been seven years since the unusual couple had started living together. When he thought back to the time they had first met, never in his life he would have imagined that one day this angel-like creature next to him would be his to claim.

He was sure the boy was feeling the same for him, so he had considered to take their relationship a step further. He loved Misaki, from the bottom of his heart, and he wanted to prove it to his lover by finally proposing to him, making their relationship official.

He had thought many sleepless nights about how he would do it. Going to a restaurant and just placing a ring into his drink was boring and unoriginal. Besides, he didn't think the boy was so keen on having the whole world know that he was _gay_, even if it didn't matter to Akihiko.

"Usagi-san..." the boy mumbled sleepily. His eyes opened slightly to glimpse at the preoccupied man next to him. "What time is it?"

"Nine thirty," Akihiko replied, suddenly in a very serious tone. "You are getting late for work."

Misaki's eyes shot open in disbelief. "What? Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked hastily, already rushing out of bed. Suddenly he felt a cold hand grab his wrist and push him back into the warm blankets underneath him.

"Just kidding," Akihiko calmed him. "It's still early, you don't have to rush yourself."

Misaki punched the giggling man into his shoulder. "Baka! And I thought I'd be dead for sure!" He blurted out.

"Aw, sorry for that," the novelist apologised, towering above his lover. "Allow me to make up for my rude behaviour," he purred.

"Er... No, no, you don't have to, really!" the boy exclaimed, already knowing what was to happen next.

But Akihiko insisted on having his way. "But I want to." His lips were already working their way down the boy's body.

With Misaki beside him, he knew everything would be alright.

xxx

Akihiko had hoped the day would proceed as good as it had started, however, and he blamed karma for that, life had never been gentle to him.

As soon as both got up to have breakfast, the entire procedure was characterized by little discussions and small arguments about trivial doings. Whether it was about Akihiko's tardiness when it came to his writing, his frantic urge to spend, or being all messy, having his manuscripts, coffee mugs and full ashtrays waiting everywhere to be picked up by whoever had to keep the entire accomodation in a clean state.

Or Misaki still being too stubborn to confess to his lover.

Akihiko could not comprehend the difficulty in saying those three little words he had been waiting for way too long out loud.

Nor did Misaki understand how the taller male had been able to survive in such a mess before the boy had decided to stay with him.

Even if the silver-haired man couldn't help but find his lover's concern extremely adorable, he was also worried about how serious their once lukewarm arguments had become by then. It was one of the reasons that had brought him to the conclusion of proposing to his flat-mate. It would be a lie to say he was not frightened of hurting, or even worse, losing his beloved.

Misaki pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Come on, Usagi-san. Let's just leave it as it is. I'm getting late for work anyway."

"I'll drive you," Akihiko replied curtly

"Don't bother, I can walk."

But Akihiko was already heading towards the door, keys in his hand and a knit between his brows. Misaki rolled his eyes, collected his belongings and followed Usami without another word.

xxx

In a late August morning, when the sun was shining brightly in a flawless blue sky, two bad-tempered lovers were stuck in the worst traffic jam ever possible.

"Can't you turn this thing on a bit more? In case you haven't noticed, it's summer!" Misaki complained sarcastically. The air-conditioner was working sparsely and the boy felt like he was melting inside the luxurious vehicle.

"It's already on. Besides, you'll get ill if you keep leaning your face directly into the blower, especially when you're sweating so much. The cooling process will only quicken without you noticing and your body cannot handle such a quick change of temperature-"

"You know what, I think I'll just walk the last stretch of the way," Misaki cut in, unbuckling his seat belt in record time. He was out of the car and slammed the door shut before a confused and somewhat upset Akihiko could even say another word.

This was _just_ what Misaki needed right now: An overprotective Usagi-san to boss him around. Didn't the guy notice that he was already stressed enough? That was the reason why the boy had wanted to walk to work. Alone. Because it was the only time of day when he could just unwind for some minutes and not think of the pressure that awaited him at work. Or a care-dependant, troublesome lover with the alter ego of a five-year old at home. Not like he was tired of living together with his boyfriend, the man had just gotten a hint too hard to please over the past years, especially when it came to emotional stuff. Didn't he realise that he was still having difficulties with his own feelings? It was hard to describe it, he wanted nothing more than to embrace his beloved and push him away at the same time. It was a paradox on its own, and it left Misaki with a headache every time he thought about their relationship.

How deeply he wished to talk to somebody about his unease, but his brother was still groping in the dark and his best friend did his very best to despise the man he was in love with.

Suddenly Misaki felt something in his jeans pocket vibrate. Retrieving his mobile, he shielded the screen from the sun's brightness with his other hand before reading the message he had just received.

_Speaking of the devil... _he thought.

'_Sup man? Called a few times but you didn't pick up. Everything alright?_'

Misaki stopped beneath a shady tree to reply to his friend.

'_I'm fine. Sorry, had a terrible morning and didn't pay attention to my mobile._' He pretended that he hadn't pressed the send-button too hard because he was still upset with a certain somebody.

The reply came almost immediately.

'_Quarrel with Mr. loverboy? Just rebuff him already! Me and Miyagi would totally make up for him! Wanted to try out that threesome shit anyways *wink*_'

Misaki snorted at the suggestion. Of course, Shinobu was only joking around. '_Thanks man, but you're way too obsessed with that geezer to share him with anyone._'

Taking a glimpse at his watch, he realised that he had only several minutes left until work begun, so he finished the text message with a '_TTYL_' before running down the street towards Marukawa Publishing.

xxx

"Chibi-tan, could you get me a copy of these?" The moment these words were spoken, Misaki found himself holding reams of paper in his arms. He had to stretch his neck until it actually hurt to glimpse above the pile of documents to give a grinning Isaka-san a half-hearted nod. Of course, why give the donkeywork to somebody else when Misaki was up and ready to be teased?

Carefully, he tiptoed towards the elevator and tried to push the right button with his elbow. Letting out a deep sigh, he leaned his back on the door after it closed to lessen some of the pain the stack of sheets were providing. Fortunately, he was the only person in the small chamber, so he could relax for a minute without anyone trying to boss him around even more.

As almost half of the staff was on vacation, those remaining had to make up for the lack of workers, which left Misaki running around all day, being here and there to do what work was waiting to be done. His trip to the upper floors via elevator was the first time in hours when he could wind down and be miles away.

Since he had entered the large company, he had done nothing but being bossed around by everyone, even by his co-workers. It was a rough job, to say the least. Every evening he would come home very exhausted to see that there was even more work waiting for him at home. Like cleaning up the mess his housemate had done during the day, or satisfying said person both physically and emotionally. It was like he was torn between two lives - the life of an independent, young adult who wanted nothing more than to reach for the stars residing in the upper floors of the company, and the life of a caring lover who had to sacrifice all of his leisure time for an individual with the worst case of Peter Pan syndrome ever possible.

Misaki felt his young heart ache everytime he thought about it. Where had his dreams gone? Like the dream to surpass Usagi-san by being more successful in the company, so nobody would look down on him anymore. Or finally being able to attack the male. Hadn't he vowed to take it upon himself to grow up and be the juvenile lead in their relationship? Where had his dreams gone? Oh right, they had been buried six feet under by a couch potato and piles of paper.

"Life sucks!" he groaned, when suddenly the door slid open - "Uwah!" - and Misaki found himself on the floor, sheets dancing down on his aching body. Pushing himself up quickly from the uncomfortable carpet, he took a glimpse around him and let out a pitiful whimper as the organized documents had been spread all over the place within seconds. This would take hours to clean up!

Utterly devastated, he got to his knees and started to collect the sheets, not aware of another hand offering him a good amount of paper.

"Need some help?"

When the he looked up from the mess on the floor, his gaze met familiar, kind eyes. A man in his early thirties with the appearance of a young adult crouched beside Misaki, offering some collected documents to the boy. Misaki's expression brightened immediately.

"Thanks so much, Senpai. You're a lifesaver!" the boy exclaimed, gladly accepting the offered sheets.

"Anything for my number-one fan!" the man replied, carrying a toothy grin. Misaki returned the gesture and together they cleaned up the mess in no time. After making sure that not a single piece of paper had been left, the male accompanied the brunet to the next photocopier, providing a bit of small talk along the way.

"So Ijuuin-senpai, how is work doing? Anything new from 'The Kan'?" the boy urged, green eyes sparkling with excitement. The mangaka chuckled at his junior's curiosity.

"What was our agreement on 'The Kan', Misaki-kun?"

"No spoilers for anyone, even if it's me," the boy pouted, his head hanging down in defeat. Kyou patted the poor boy on the back to comfort him.

"Don't worry about it. Just wait until next month, then you'll be able to figure out what happens by yourself." The boy mumbled a half-hearted "Okay" after shoving another sheet into the copier. Satisfied with his kohei's answer, he stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets before changing the subject.

"So, how are you doing? You look quite exhausted lately, are you eating properly? I hope there are no problems in your private life?" By hearing the words 'private life', Misaki's expression faded from upset to devastated, a dark aura surrounding him completely.

"Oh my, is it about Usami-sensei?" the man asked in a worried tone, not knowing that he had just hit the bullseye.

Misaki shifted from one foot to another before giving a brief nod. "It's nothing actually, we just had a small dispute in the morning..."

The male gave Misaki a sympathetic look. "I really would like to give you a hug right now, but I'm not entirely sure if Usami-san would be okay with that..." Misaki remembered what had happened last time his senpai had attempted to hug him; it had resulted in a fuming Usagi-san and an embarassed Misaki, because since that incident the entire company knew about their relationship, Akihiko had made that fact _very_ clear.

"Thanks, senpai. It's the thought that counts," the boy replied. Finally, the required amount of sheets had been copied and Misaki thanked to the gods that Ijuuin offered his aid once more, otherwise he didn't know how to transport two mountains of sheets to Isaka-san in time.

On their way towards the elevator, suddenly Misaki heard somebody call out his name.

"Misaki-kuuun~"

The boy glimpsed above the pile in his arms to spot a woman with auburn hair, tied in a messy bun to prevent her sensitive neck from sweating even more than she was right then. A paper fan in her left hand was moving quickly from one direction to another, sending her a cool breeze.

"Aikawa-san, is that you?" he questioned, trying to face her through the mountain of sheets. Judging by her expression, the woman was very displeased with something.

"Misaki-kun, please tell that lame ass of an author that he has missed the deadline yet again!" she complained, now moving her other hand to cool herself down even more.

Misaki, still busy with stretching his neck from left to right to look at the woman properly, tried to calm her down however possible. An angry Aikawa-san was the last thing he needed right now!

"I'll tell Usagi-san, I promise!" he squirmed, however, she didn't seem to be satisfied with the answer.

"Dont just tell him, Misaki-kun. _Do_ something about his behaviour! You've been living with that idiot for seven years, _you_ should know how to knock some sense into that pighead of his!" she exclaimed, stamping with her feet.

_'Says the one who has been Usagi-san's manager for ever!_'

"I'll talk to him, really! Now please excuse me, I have to get these- " he eyed the sheets stacked in his arms - "to Isaka-san before collapsing again."

"Okay then, I'm counting on you!" She waved goodbye before running off to wherever she was needed at the moment, leaving Misaki alone with Ijuuin yet again.

As they were walking towards their destination once again, it was the man who broke the silence first.

"So, seven years, huh? Must be tough to keep up a relationship for so long. I've never been in one long enough so I wouldn't know."

Misaki just shrugged off the statement. "It's no big deal actually," he lied, because nobody had to know how difficult it was to keep up with both his work and relationship at the same time.

"So, when is the wedding?"

Suddenly Misaki tripped over his own feet and almost fell head-first to the floor. Luckily, he managed to keep himself and the documents steady by a hair's breadth.

"What?" The question had caught him entirely off-guard. "Where did that idea come from?"

Kyou chuckled softly. "Well, you two have been getting on each other's nerves for quite a long time, I think it is time for you guys to walk down the aisle, don't you think so?"

Misaki thought for a minute about what the man had just said, furrowing his brows. "I... I never really thought about it," he admitted. "I mean, we're living together already, it wouldn't be such a big deal to get married... right?" he mumbled.

"But isn't a marriage something beautiful? Besides, everyone wants to marry someday. Believe it or not," the mangaka's expression became nostalgic, "Even I would like to have someone by my side forever."

The way his senpai was saying that, it actually made some sort of sense. Every living being seeked company, but it was not like Misaki was on his own, anyway. The problem was that they were just _lovers,_ and it was hard to admit that with being stuck between his _real_ work and the work that awaited him at home, he had never actually had the time to think about taking a step further in their relationship.

'_Marriage, huh?' _he thought, looking out of a huge window that presented a clear blue sky. '_I wonder what Usagi-san would think about it..._'

xxx

"Usagi-san, I'm home!"

The sun was already setting outside, filling the appartement with its last bits of daylight. Akihiko had made himself comfortable on the cozy sofa in the living room, his laptop resided on his thighs and two big hands were just guiding a steaming mug full of coffee to his lips when Misaki entered the room. After taking some time to put everything aside, he stood up and greeted his lover properly. It made him happy to realize that the boy would still blush when he stole a brief kiss from his soft lips.

"You're just too adorable," he admitted, causing the brunet to turn from pink to crimson.

"Am not," the boy mumbled.

"Why, yes of course you are! There is nobody else in the entire world who would blush like a silly girl from a small peck, especially after receiving it from the same old crock for seven years," he chuckled, cupping one perfectly flushed cheek with a cool hand.

Misaki chewed on his bottom lip. "Yeah, about that..." he begun, but was cut off by Akihiko.

"You must be _very _tired from working," the novelist stated, guiding his lover gently to the comfortable couch he had been sitting on a minute ago. Misaki took a seat, very confused why the other had become so friendly all of a sudden. When the man disappeared into the kitchen with a mysterious smile on his lips, the boy had the opportunity to look around the room to get a glimpse of what mess had to be cleaned today. But much to his surprise, no matter how long he stared at the table before his view- somebody must've had cleaned it, looking at how much it was sparkling with scrupulous cleanliness- , or the dust-free television, or even Suzuki-san with a new bow around his plushy neck; everything seemed to be in perfect order.

"This is strange," Misaki mumbled with a doubtful expression. "Normally it should look like an ant's paradise around here..."

One blink of an eye later, Akihiko casually returned to the living room, heading right towards the confused brunet. When the man came to a halt before the couch, a strong, yet gentle hand was offered to the boy's direction. Misaki stood up very slowly and placed his own hand hesistantly on top of the other's, still having no clue of what was going on as Akihiko guided him to the dining table. To the boy's amazement, the table was decorated with a scarlet candle and rose petals. Much to his surprize, there were two porcelain plates with food that didn't look like Usami's work, nor like the leftovers from yesterday.

"It's from the restaurant you like so much," he said, answering Misaki's unspoken question. "And don't start to complain that you could've made something to eat as well. I just felt like ordering something, so you don't have to cook today." Then he added: "You must be hungry. Here, have a seat." He gestured towards the chair, moving it away from the table for the brunet to sit down.. Misaki did so and Akihiko imitated him right after. The boy had to admit, working all day had made him quite hungry and looking at the delicious meal before him - sushi from his favourite place that tasted a hundred times better than what they were selling at convenience stores, and also a slice of strawberry cake for dessert, probably from the bakery Misaki visited regularly - his mouth began to water.

Right when Misaki grabbed the chopsticks next to his plate, ready to shove one of the delicious treats into his greedy mouth, Akihiko decided to say something.

"By the way, I prepared you a bubble bath for after dinner. I thought it'd help you relax a little after work."

Misaki rose an eyebrow, now very confused about his lover's changed attitude.

"What did you screw up this time?" he teased.

"Nothing!" the man exclaimed, lifting his hands in protest. "I have to go to a meeting later, I just thought maybe you'd want to relax for the rest of the day since I won't be around to tease you." He pointed at the boy with his own cultery, waving them around before Misaki's nose.

"Um... Okay, I guess." The latter was still not satisfied with the other's answer, but he decided to just let it drop. Besides, if Akihiko had decided to do the boy a favor, who was he to refuse? As for now, they just enjoyed their spontaneous candlelight dinner without much more talking.

After they were finished, the novelist went upstairs to get changed for the meeting. Misaki was doing the dishes when the male returned, dressed in dark trousers and a white button-down shirt. He hugged the occupied boy from behind, startling him for a second.

"I'll be back soon," he mumbled, kissing the younger male on the cheek.

The boy simply nodded, pretending not to notice the sudden heat in his face."Uh-huh. Take care."

And with that, he left the building. After Misaki was done drying the dishes, he went straight into the bathroom to quickly get rid of his clothes and let himself sink into the bathtub. The hot water was rather unfomfortable at first, considering the hot weather, but after some time his body accustomed to the temperature and he finally felt himself relax. He soaked in the water for about half an hour before getting out. After putting on some comfortable clothes, he strolled towards the big sofa in the living room, ruffling his wet hair on the way.

He could have just watched some television, but instead he decided to pick a magazine out of his bag. It was about wedding rings, Ijuuin-sensei had given it to him after work.

"Just in case you might be interested," his senpai had said.

He proceeded to aimlessly flip through pages until he found some interesting articles. Misaki had never imagined there were so many different types of rings - broad ones, small ones, golden, silver, platinum; some had diamonds on them, others carried elaborate encravings. Especially one ring caught his eye; it did not look that exuberant, just a small golden ring with one embedded diamond. But that was what he liked about it the most, it was simple, yet elegant. Besides, every time he looked at the other rings, he thought that he might have to get at least two other jobs to afford them.

That made him wonder: Why was he already looking for wedding rings when the thought of marrying had crossed his mind only today? It was not like they had gotten together just recently anyway, marrying wouldn't really change that much in their relationship, the boy thought. Well, they were already living together, going on dates, eating together, even sleeping together - and with each other, obviously - and when he thought about it, there really was nothing on his mind that would have changed after getting married.

He looked at the ring again, rather fondly this time.

_'But it would be nice to wear one of these...'_

While laying on the comfortable sofa with the magazine in his hands and heartwarming thoughts in his head, he vowed to himself that this time he would make the first move and ask for his lover's hand. But until then, there was still plenty of time and lots of other things to do...

xxx

When Akihiko came home in the late of the night, Misaki had dozed off on the couch with the magazine laying on his chest. The novelist approached the sleeping boy to check if he was all right, when suddenly the catalogue caught his eye. He picked it up carefully to not wake the other, flipping through some pages.

_'Wedding rings, huh?'_ he thought. After looking through the magazine for several minutes, he made up his mind.

_'It's time...'_

_xxx_

The next day, Misaki was glad he had the day off because now his back hurt from carrying stacks of paper the whole day and passing out on the sofa in the evening. Of course Akihiko had carried him to bed once he had arrived at home, but it hadn't been helpful anyway. Besides, he didn't feel like going to work after being lazy the evening before.

He turned around to see if Usagi-san was still asleep, but his side was empty. Right when he considered staying in bed a little longer, his mobile started to ring. Misaki looked at the screen sleepily. It was Aikawa-san.

"Hello?" he mumbled into the device.

"Good morning, Misaki-kun!" she exclaimed, apparently being in high spirits. "I hope you're enjoying your day off so far! How was your evening yesterday?"

Misaki was rather confused why the woman would ask him about such a thing, but he decided to answer anyway. "...Good, I guess."

"That's great! I hope that idiot cleaned up the mess he usually leaves behind at home. How was the meal? Did you like it?"

Now the whole situation was starting to get suspicious. "Aikawa-san, how come you know about all this?"

"Well, because I told Akihiko to do so!" she answered. "I called him after talking to you at work to inform him about the missed deadline. Then I told him he should do you a favor and at least clean the house because you looked so exhausted."

"Really?" Misaki questioned, his one eye twitching violently.

"Well, yeah! Otherwise he wouldn't to so much as to pick up a single thing laying around!"

Suddenly, the boy felt the urge to smack Akihiko across the head. He should've known that the man was not smart enough to figure out something like that by himself.

"Well then, thanks for telling Usagi-san, I guess..." he replied, starting to feel annoyed with the current situation.

"No problem! Be sure to tell him that he has a story to finish, otherwise I will have to pay him a visit!"

Misaki simply agreed and hung up, getting up on his feet to undress, feeling rather pissed. This would be just one hell of a morning, he thought sarcastically.

When he stepped out of the bedroom and went downstairs, he saw Akihiko talking on the phone, already dressed to go out and take care of some business. Apparently, his conversation had ended right when the boy had walked down the stairs. With a happy grin on his face, the male approached his lover to embrace him with strong arms.

"Good morning, my little Misaki-"

The boy pushed himself away from the male abruptly, a deep frown marring his expression. Their eyes met, although it was uncomfortable for Akihiko when Misaki was practically glaring at him.

"It was not your idea," the boy stated.

"I beg your pardon?" the silver-haired male questioned.

"Yesterday. It was not your idea," he repeated. Misaki knew it was ridiculous to make a scene out of it because it had been Akihiko who had done all those things in the end. And yet he felt upset because finally the boy had thought his partner would obtain some senses and try to be reasonable on his own.

"I don't know what you are being so upset about," the male frowned. "I just wanted you to have a nice day and now I have the impression you did not even appreciate it!"

"Appreciate it? I wouldn't have to appreciate anything if you started to think a little more and not just lock yourself up in your work room!" the boy barked.

Akihiko knew the boy didn't mean it like that and if he had given in, the discussion would have ended right then.

However, he was not doing any better to calm the current situation.

"Whatever. I'm going out for a while," he declared, turning on his heels towards the exit, towards denouement. Misaki snorted audibly, elucidating his temper.

"Running away now? Where are you going anyway?" the boy interrogated. He was having a really hard time not to vent his spleen on his partner.

Akihiko stopped for a moment to respond, however decided to form his lips into a thin line instead. "Be right back," he muttered before leaving his still confused lover alone in the appartement.

Misaki stamped towards the big sofa amidst the living room, cursing silently to himself. "Baka Usagi!" His head collided with a soft cushion in time to the aggressive sound of Akihiko's red sports car accelerating furiously before the sound vanished into thin air.

He hugged the huge teddy bear that was residing on its permanent place on the comfortable chesterfield. '_At least you don't run away, Suzuki-san_' he sulked. It was quiet without the other man beside him, it always was. At times like these, he'd just linger on the cosy sofa, with Suzuki-san in his arms, lose himself deep in thoughts until he fell asleep. This time was no exception.

His mind enlarged upon various issues, although Akihiko was the main subject most of the time. He often envisioned their shared future, how life would be within the next years. Were they going to proceed their relationship like this forever? Or would they take a step further? Was he even contemplating marriage? He was unsure if Akihiko would prefer being hitched up with him for the rest of his existence as he seemed to enjoy the life of a handsome, successful bachelor. Although it seemed that he had never cared about acting like a grown-up. In fact, the older the man became, the more childish he acted, the boy mused.

And due to this certain behaviour it was no surprise they sometimes had a hard time to solve the differences every new daylight brought along. Actually, it was not that difficult to find a solution, really, as Misaki only had to do so much as to let his long eyelashes flutter to turn a certain novelist into a puddle of boiling testosterone. However, the brunet had never been the kind of person to use his charms to his advances, and sex was not the best idea to prevent discussions, anyway.

In his opinion, at least.

But sometimes their arguments would become so intense, he feared there would be dishes flying at each other any minute and words would be spoken and regretted the same second they left trembling lips, and even the mere thought was enough to let the boy's heart shatter.

It was not a lie to say that he was scared, hell, he was terrified. Terrified to make an irreversable mistake so bad that Akihiko would not even look at him anymore. Granted, he was not the type to go all husband (_'Or wife? N- no way, what the hell am I thinking?'_) over his lover, but they had been together for so long, surely the male was certain of Misaki's feelings towards him, right? So if he already knew of the boy's attitude, there was nothing to be said out loud, right?

Everything would be okay, right?

Suddenly, Misaki was torn out of his thoughts by a shrill sound echoing inside the appartement. Looking around confused, he perceived his housemate hadn't returned yet, so he stumbled up and strolled towards the source of what had distracted him from his inner turmoil.

'_Probably Usagi-san,_' the brunet rolled his eyes. '_He usually forgets to take the keys along with him._'

He opened the door in time with his mouth, ready to criticize Usami's tardiness. However, when he realised the male in front of him was indeed a Usami, but not not the one he had expected to encounter, his eyes rounded in disbelief, jaw dropping to the ground.

'_Usagi-ani? What the heck is he doing here?_' his mind bellowed. From all the times Akihiko's half-brother could have appeared, why had he chosen to visit when the other male was not around?

"Did you just swallow your tongue or do you intend to catch flies with that open mouth of yours?" Haruhiko commented when the boy didn't say anything. Misaki pulled himself together to respond with the same stinging tongue as the latter, however, was cut off by the male before he could let out a single phrase. "I have been ordered by Akihiko to pick you up. You are coming with me, like it or not," he wised the boy up.

"And what makes you think I would believe in your words?" Misaki protested. He couldn't hide the mistrust that was clearly written all over his face. Of all people on earth, why had Usagi-san sent his ever so hated brother to pick him up? And to go where anyway?

But instead of answering, he just grabbed the boy by his arm, dragging him all the way down the appartement and into his car. "Less talking, more moving," he commented dryly before pushing Misaki past the open door, driving to... where exactly were they going anyway?

"I was ordered to take you to the Usami residence," Haruhiko answered before Misaki could even ask the question.

xxx

For someone who hadn't had the opportunity to go sightseeing around the world, the Usami residence was an imposing example of European architecture to behold. It reminded more of some heritage building than a home, with too many windows to count and the sumptuous interior only a royal family would have. Any who knows, maybe the Usamis had once been part of the British monarchy itself. But whoever their ancestors were, it was of no importance at that moment as Misaki walked past the enormous gates along with his common kidnapper, wondering how he had managed not to recognize the evident sense of déjà-vu in his mind.

Haruhiko had said that Usagi-san himself had sent him to take the boy here, but still, Misaki could not get rid of his unease. It was no surprise though, whenever he entered this place, something bad would follow afterwards.

Suddenly Haruhiko stopped in the middle of the pathway, looking for something in his pockets. He pulled out a neatly folded sheet of paper, eyeing it for a brief second before offering it to Misaki.

"I was told to give this to you," he said, not even bothering to explain it further to the confused boy. Misaki accepted the piece of paper hesitantly with two fingers. When he wanted to pull it out of the other's hand, the man just tightened his grip around the sheet. The boy adverted his gaze from their hands up to Haruhiko whose eyes were expressionless, his mouth firmly shut into a thin line. They continued their staring contest for a while, Misaki furrowing his brows while the other kept wearing his poker-face.

But then Haruhiko's expression changed into something Misaki couldn't quite decipher. It was something meaningful, that was for sure.

"I hope you will make the right decision, Misaki." He finally let go of the note, stepping back a little.

"I shall leave you alone now. I was in the middle of an important meeting before Akihiko called me to bring you here," he then announced his leave before turning on his heels without another word. And once again Misaki was left alone by a Usami. Only this time, he was not just angry, but very confused as well.

_'The hell is up with all this secretive manner? Have all Usagis lost their minds today?_' He eyed the piece of paper suspiciously, now held with both hands, before unfolding it.

_Dear Misaki, _

_if you are reading this letter, and if my brother has not taken you somewhere else. you should be at the Usami residence right now. I am sorry if it caused you any discomfort to be brought here by Haruhiko, believe me, I would have done it myself if I was not busy with another important task at the moment. _

_This may be quite sudden, but have prepared a little game for you. You have to follow the rules, otherwise you won't be able to finish it properly, and that would be a shame, right? It should take some time, but trust me, it will be worth it. There will be a reward for you at the end._

_I hope you will have fun playing, as much as I had planning this. And remember: I will know whether you have finished it or not!_

_Love, Usami Akihiko_

'_This is ridiculous,_'the boy thought. Right when Misaki turned his hands into fists, crumpling up the sheet in the process, he noticed there was more written on the back.

_Go to the front of the Usami residence. Your first task is waiting. _

* * *

Thanks so much for reading! And because this chapter isn't long enough already, here some random OoC-ness:

Akihiko: I just had a nightmare and now I will proceed to have sex with you.  
Misaki: NOOOOOoooo...  
Akihiko: Oh, that was a good lay. Now clean the house and declare your love to me!  
Misaki: Nevuuur!  
Akihiko: Then let me drive you to work so I can get on your nerves even more!  
Misaki: Not if I can stop you from doing so! *jumps out of car dramatically*  
Shinobu: THREESOMES FTW!  
Misaki: It's raining men, halleluljah... nevermind, it's just the sheets.  
Pedojuuin: I think you should get married with Akihiko.  
Misaki; WUT?!  
Akihiko: I am spoiling you and it was totally my idea!  
Aikawa: Was not!  
Misaki:I am so disappoint right now!  
Akihiko: Then I shall leave you and never come back!  
Misaki: Where are you going anyway?  
Akihiko: To Disneyland.  
Haruhiko: I am here to kidna- escort you to the mansion for no particular reason.  
Misaki: To the Playboy mansion?  
Haruhiko: Close enough.

~Ichigo


	2. Quest

Chapter 2: Quest

**A/N: **Part two of the originally first chapter. Enjoy!

**Warning: **This story may contain yaoi, smut, angsty moments, foul language, violence, drug abuse, overuse of the word 'god', ooc-ness (to moderate extent), Akihiko with a (somewhat) British accent, typos and really bad grammar, because me no can speak engrish.

**Disclaimer:** I own a teddy named Misaki. Does that count?

* * *

"Preparations for the activities in the forest are complete. If there is nothing else for me to accomplish, I shall return to my duties."

Akihiko merely gave the butler a brief nod. "You may do as you please." He then returned his attention to the object he held securely in both hands, caressing its surface gently with his thumb. The feeling of soft material under his digits distracted the man a little from his unease.

Tanaka hesitated for a moment before gently placing a hand on the other's shoulder, causing Usami to lift his head up with a blank expression. He had served the family long enough to recognize the meaning of a slightest twitch in the eye, the briefest movement of the lips or the smallest change in the body language. He only had to look at the other for a brief second to realise that he was very, very concerned.

"My lord, I am very certain that there is nothing to be worried about," he reassured the troubled male. "If there is something I can tell for sure, it would be that Misaki-kun would never hurt your feelings. He is a good boy," he added, a gentle smile touching the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

Akihiko didn't return the gesture. Instead, he returned to staring at the object in the palm of his hands

"What if," the man hesitated for a second, still observing what he held protectively in his hands, as if he had just caught a fragile bird and refused to open his hands, terrified that it might take flight and never return.

"What if this... is not what he wishes for?" he questioned absently.

The servant thought for a brief second, however, could not find a pleasant answer, lowering his gaze in defeat.

If _this_ was merely his master's wish, then he was afraid there would be nothing left for anyone to rescue the situation.

xxx

Misaki really didn't know why he was doing all this. Right after reading the rather dubious letter, he had turned on his heels to leave the property and go home. However, by the time he had reached the enormous gates, guilt had already begun to nibble at the boy. Usagi-san had done this for him, right? So why let his plans, whatever it was, go to waste? And after several minutes of standing awkwardly at the same place, considering whether to run forward or make a U-turn, his mind assured him that whatever his lover had prepared for him couldn't be so bad, so going back was his final decision.

If only he had chosen the other option!

For after reaching the destination the letter had told him to find, there was again that visceral feeling of running away and never stop.

It was not the coloured arrows glued to several trees in the area, pointing at different directions that made the boy let out an exasperated groan.

There were- Misaki counted them exactly- three hundred sixty-six envelopes laying neatly, almost to a painstaking degree, in front of the huge estate. It was no surprise the boy couldn't figure out their purpose yet. Misaki picked the closest one, unfolding it.

_Everything begins with that one day. When is Usami Akihiko's birthday? _was written in curvy handwriting. And now the number of letters was making sense. Each for one day of course, and it was obvious that the wrong answer wouldn't get him a single step closer to his designation. So all or nothing it was.

"Ha, too easy! And here I was thinking it was worth the effort." The boy automatically picked up the letter that should have 'march third' inside, considering the order the sheets were placed in. Already savouring his triumph, he opened the envelope - and was startled when it did not contain the right date.

"Huh? But I was pretty sure it would be this one..." He picked up another letter, rather unsure this time, and quickly unfolded it.

"What the-" And now his uncertainity turned into full-fledged confusion since his second attempt had not resulted in what he had expected as well. So either his calculation skills had waved him goodbye a long time ago, or...

"... Oh no, he didn't possibly-"

But unfortunately his theory was proven true as every other letter contained a combination of numbers in a completely random order.

The problem was not to figure out the male's birthday, Misaki's mind had automatically responded with the right answer the second he had read the question. The problem was that the letters were not in classified order like they should be, which left the poor boy to open every single envelope to know what was inside. Akihiko must have done this on purpose because he knew exactly that Misaki would remember something like his birthday very fast, so he wanted to occupy his lover a little more.

That sneaky bastard!

While the boy's temper rose ("Kuso Usagi, I am so gonna kill you after I'm done with this!"), along with the self-made confetti on the floor, the amount of untouched envelopes receded as well. Finally there was only one left, and Misaki swore if it was not having the right answer inside, he would throttle the man for being a real tease. '_See if you can live withour air, idiot!_' Or sex. Either way, he would eventually die, the boy mused.

Whatever the reason for Akihiko's demise would be - although he would probably die from the lethal mixture of coffee and cigarettes, combined with pressured working and outstandingly active body parts - was circumstancial at that moment. Misaki practically ripped the poor letter open, like that one time when he had found Usagi's boys love manuscripts for the first time and torn the sheets apart until they were dust in the wind.

And finally, approximately half an eternity later, he had found that one letter with the correct date. The next instruction was written at the back of the sheet.

_The arrow in purple may show you the right way._

xxx

In the main hall of the well-organized estate, Akihiko sat in one of the chairs with burgundy velvet, coffee mug in one hand and a box with the same material as said furniture in the other, sulking over his current situation.

"Because there is nothing else to do but wait," they had said to him.

As more metaphorical clouds added above his head, a dark shadow lengthened itself flatly across the mahogany table beneath his angle of view. The moment he turned his head to scold whoever had darkened both his sight and mind even further, a pair of emerald orbs appeared a few inches before his private realm. Their eyes met on the same level since the intruder had bent down to keep eye-contact with the pouting man.

Auburn brows furrowed gently in concern.

"Are you alright?"

Akihiko refused to answer. Instead, he decided to stare back at the person in annoyance.

The woman sighed in discomfort, straightening herself and the champagne-coloured blouse she was wearing.

"Pouting and worrying all of us will get you nowhere," she muttered, her tone changing into that of a displeased manager. "Besides," she added, "Aren't you overacting a bit right now? It's not like he will leave before finishing the game! You know it would go against his pride to-"

"Aikawa-san," Akihiko interrupted her sentence, two cold fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Stop. Please."

The woman was upset with the man's answer and crossed her arms. She took a long breath to respond, however, was cut off yet again.

"The problem is not if he will complete the task or not," Haruhiko commented, who had stepped into the scenery moments after the staring contest between author and manager.

"What is it, then?" she questioned.

The man furrowed his brows thoughtfully. "What if he will not comprehend what is being asked of him?"

"He will," Akihiko replied, very certain of his answer. A faint tug at the corner of his mouth adorned his expression as soft eyelids covered warm lavender underneath.

_'Because we think the same way.'_

xxx

Misaki did what he was told to do, if not a bit involuntarily, marching past trees and shrubs which got bigger the deeper he entered the adjoining forest . And as he reached the destination, a scenery much worse than the letter fiasco appeared before him.

Only few steps away, laying flatly on even ground was the hugest map of the world Misaki had ever seen in his entire life. And once again he was left wondering in amazement about how any person could come up with the crazy ideas Usagi-san always had.

"So, what on earth am I supposed to do now?" he questioned. He turned his head to the right to find a letter pinned to the stub of a tree. He leaned forward to decipher what was being asked of him this time.

_A silver coin with two sides is still made of the same material. Where was Usami Akihiko born?_

"Is that a joke? Of course he was born in Japan!" Misaki exclaimed in an undertone that clearly said 'duh'. He strolled casually to where the island was pictured on the map to rip off the sheet that was pinned there. However, what was written on it made the boy turn pale.

_Good one, but it is not that easy, my little Misaki._

"Oh gods, no..." he sighed, knowing this would probably take as long as the previous task.

Misaki looked everywhere for the male's birthplace, however, he couldn't even find a hint to begin with. He felt ridiculous when he looked for answers in Africa but hey, it wouldn't have surprised the boy if Akihiko was the offspring of an Egyptian pharaoh, considering his 'royal aura', or whatever it was called. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

_Egypt? Really? Sorry to burst the bubble, my love, but I am not a pharaoh, nor am I planning to become one. _

Misaki scrunched the sheet and threw it away as far as possible because he was too embarassed to admit that he had thought of his lover to be an Egyptian.

'_Should've known,_' he pouted.

While Misaki was looking desperately almost everywhere for that one damn country, something else started to bother him. It wasn't until now the boy had realised he didn't know much about his lover, let alone his childhood. He had asked a few times, however, the male had always found another topic to talk about. It was weird though, why would someone refuse to talk about something as his past? It really couldn't be as bad as his own. Ever since his parents had died, the boy had been lonely. Of course his brother had been there for him when most needed, even so, nobody could replace one's parents, not even the people closest to someone.

Akihiko was different, though. Misaki would never admit this because it sounded just way too cheesy, but the man had been able to replace the feeling of loneliness with love and the brunet wanted nothing more than to do the same for him. There were times when Usagi carried that lost expression and the boy had to pull himself together not to glomp him right there since he knew the man would impose on his kindness and do 'other things'.

Nevertheless, it was a pity he knew so little about Akihiko. Because if he did, this game would be a lot easier to deal with.

After several false assumptions, Misaki started to choose randomly to at least outcast the wrong answers.

'_Hey, Sweden doesn't sound so bad, right?_' he mused, considering how pale the man was.

_Am I really that sallow? Although you're not that wrong, Europe is a good start._

'_Finally, a clue!_'

Quickly, he looked at the other places in that area, however, it was not that easy to find the right answer with so many countries.

But then his gaze fell upon an island in the west and the second he picked up the sheet that was pinned over England, he had to resist the urge to facepalm because the answer was so obvious that one must've been blind to miss it.

_Ding, ding, ding! One hundred points to Misaki! I wonder how long this one took you to figure out._

"... I'm such an idiot!"

xxx

Several hours had passed since Misaki's arrival, and judging by his instinct, he should be at the finish very soon, Akihiko thought.

He stood up from his seat and strode towards the exit, carrying the scarlet box in one hand.

"I believe it is time to prepare the final step."

xxx

About a billion questions later - one of them implying the size of someone's particular body parts, what Misaki had strictly refused to answer -, he finally reached what looked like the final destination.

It was almost evening and as the sun painted the world with its last rays, one star after another filled the twilight sky, greeting a fairly tired Misaki with the little light they gave. As the world around him got darker, another source of light showed him the way. Literally.

Much to the boy's surprise, there was a pathway lit up brightly by several dozens of small candles on both sides. It was a beautiful scenery to behold, the trees around him seemed to glow under the effect of the warm light. And Misaki had to wonder if the candles had always been there, because he was fairly sure that he had crossed this way on his treasure hunt more than once, and they had definitely been absent by then.

_'That means somebody's been following me all this time...'_ and there was only one person to come in question.

"Usagi-san?"

Silence.

"I know you are here somewhere, so show yourself!"

When said person did not answer, Misaki wrote a mental note to himself to strangle the man later and decided to follow the well-lit path to see where it was leading to.

The further he strode along, the brighter the surroundings became. And within a few steps, in a place where the trees and bushes encircled a small piece of land that looked oddly familiar, a huge box twice his size came into sight. Pink ribbons held it together, and the closer Misaki got to it, the bigger it seemed to become, until it looked like a present for some giant rather than for a mortal being. And while the boy felt like he had shrunk several feet, his gaze wandered up to the top of the goft of vast extent and further, and now he knew why this place looked so familiar.

In the night sky that glimpsed through glowing trees and branches, a blanket of stars shined brightly like the most precious diamonds. Misaki was stunned, he had never seen such beautiful sparks of light anywhere but here. He remembered the first time he had been here; Akihiko had kidnapped him early in the morning and taken the clueless boy to the mansion and shared his well-kept secret place with him. It had caught Misaki entirely off-guard to be shared another part of Usagi's past life with, there had been only rare occasions when the male had revealed anything from his days gone by, and Misaki had absorbed every and each detail of his stories.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he decicded to finally tackle the huge box. And judging from the package's size, there could be anything hiding inside, like, oh he didn't know, a person maybe.

The moment he gave the pink wrapper a light tug, Misaki watched with excitement how four walls collapsed to the ground, revealing-

Another box.

"What the-" Confusion marked his expression since the outcome had been completely different from what he had expected. It could have been one of these jack-in-the-box tricks where Usagi-san would've jumped out of nowhere and yell 'boo' to scare the hell out of the boy. When no bunnies, boogeymen or psychopatic clowns appeared, the boy hesitantly approached the giant present once again to grab the next layer of ribbons and pulled-

-to find another, smaller box hiding indide.

"B-but- I-" he opened and closed his mouth several times, gaping like a gold fish. This was a joke, right? Because this point was supposed to be the end, not the beginning of another task! Oh he swore to the gods if this was excactly what he thought it was, then...

Very slowly, the boy unwrapped the next package, hoping it was carrying anything but another box.

"... Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

When box number four appeared before his nose, Misaki knew he had enough.

"Screw this, I'm leaving this place!" he barked, already stepping one foot away from the scenery. But then he froze in place, considering what would happen if he decided not to finish this game. His enrire work up until now would go to waste. Usagi-san would probably scold him for his decision, not to mention what 'punishment' he'd get afterwards.

He would never know the secret of the box.

Yes, curiosity could be very troublesome indeed.

In the end, Misaki lost to what had killed the cat, because revealing a secret couldn't be that difficult, right?

xxx

Twenty-seven packages and a lifetime's amount if willpower later, the box had shrinked to the size for a mortal being to hold in the palm of one hand without any trouble. He had kicked the remaining pieces of white cardboard to a corner where the half-used candles could not touch them. Causing a forest to burn down was the least he needed right now.

And then, there the boy was, debating over opening the petite present or waiting until it moved by itself. Because one could never be certain of the ideas in a certain author's childish mind. He eyed the box suspicioudly, tilting his head to the side.

"Tell me your secret, little box," he demanded, not feeling the least bit silly since nobody was around to witness his awkward conversation anyway.

"Do you really want to know?" the box questioned- wait, since when could boxes talk?

Misaki's head snapped up the moment the thought crossed his mind to get a glimpse of moving bushes and branches. Slim legs clad in black appeared after a pair of pale hands dividing the surrounding leaves in two. Then a bloused chest, and finally lavender orbs and silky silver.

"Usagi-san! I-" the boy began, but Akihiko put a slender finger to his own smiling lips, gesturing the boy to remain silent. So Misaki did as he was told, watching the tall male approach him with long steps.

One hundred reasons appeared in the boy's head to scold the male right here and now and blurt out the questions that had been sticking to his head since his appearance at the estate. Like why had he been guided here just to open so many packages to get that small box in his hands. Or why he had been pushed to answer so many questions to get here in the first place.

When suddenly his small hands were cupped by the other's very gentle, very warm ones- what was very unusual for the novelist- he felt a strong heartbeat, stronger and faster than his own, reveberate trough his whole being. The moment lasted for a split second until Akihiko took the box from the boy to open it by himself. And as the boy saw the first bits of ruby velvet, he cursed himself for being a coward to open what had apparently been the last package that had seperated him from his prize-

Wait.

A small box, clad in ruby velvet.

Like the ones in that magazine.

The magazine about engagement rings.

_'... Oh!'_

Suddenly he found Akihiko kneeling in front of him.

_'Oh no...'_

Misaki felt his blood circulate even faster as the male presented the beautiful box with both hands to him.

_'Oh no!'_

Akihiko took a long, deep breath before slowly opening the object in his palms.

_'Oh nononono!'_

Misaki felt his heart skip a beat when the box finally flew open.

And there it was.

Inside the burgundy package, laying in soft, silky white, there was a golden ring with the most beautiful encravings Misaki had ever seen in his entire life, even more beautiful than the most expensive ones in the magazine. Two stripes of twisted silver coiled themselves around the top and bottom of the sparkling object, along with tiny diamonds that reflected the light of the candles in such a beautiful way that Misaki thought the ring might be charmed. And who knew, maybe it had once belonged to the goddess of beauty herself.

Misaki didn't even have the opportunity to think about the costs of the small jewellery because his brain had shut itself off the moment his heart had stopped mid-beat. Everything seemed to work in slow-motion; the flickering lights, the dancing leaves, even Akihiko's soft lips when he mouthed that one question.

"Marry me?"

It took the boy an eternity to realize what had just been asked of him. And the moment he did, something in his brain clicked and his heart felt like riding an emotional roller coaster. He gave his best impression of a breathless fish, Akihiko feared that the young male's eyes would pop out any minute, considering how rounded they were.

"I- uh..." Misaki was speechless, he seemed to have forgotten how to move his mouth to bring out comprehensive syllables.

Right when Akihiko thought he would get an answer from the brunet - considering how he was practically gaping for words - something unexpected happened.

"I..." Misaki's expression suddenly changed visibly, and before Akihiko could consider the consequences, the boy already phrased that one word the man surely hadn't expected to hear.

"... No..."

It came as a faint whisper, but it was loud enough to let Akihiko's heart shatter to pieces. Before he could even ask why the boy had rejected his proposal, he found Misaki taking small steps away from him before running off into the dark forest.

The male stood alone in his secret hideout with a lonely ring in his hands.

"... So this is your answer," he muttered, a bitter smile matched sorrowful eyes as he asked himself one question.

Why had it gone so terribly wrong?

xxx

Misaki was an idiot.

No, that wasn't quite right.

Misaki was an asshole; a stupid coward who had just ruined everything - and an idiot.

There were millions if other obscenities the boy could've referred to himself as, however, none of them could have fixed the current situation. When he thought about his previous actions, he knew that he really hadn't needed to run off like that, but everything had happened so suddenly. And the proposal - Misaki had been devastated the moment he had realised that his own plans of proposing to the man had gone to waste. This had been the first opportunity for him to tackle the novelist, and now he didn't even have that! It would be a lie to say the boy was not frustrated about it.

Even so, the worst thing about the whole situation was that he had hurt his lover terribly and he didn't know how to ever make up for that. He probably had the impression that Misaki actually didn't want to marry Akihiko. On the contrary, it was him who had wanted to propose to the silver-haired man in the first place! Oh gods, he really wanted to marry him, but he had just screwed up everything!

His only thought now was to find Usagi-san and explain everything to him. Easier said than done, the boy thought as he had run off into a completely random direction and now he was pretty much lost. Damn it, why did it have to be a forest? Especially one where bears and wolves and he-didn't-want-to-know-what-else were living inside. And then he started to panick because the entire situation seemed to be hopeless. He was stuck in a deep forest with wild animals, he didn't know where to go to and he had just made his beloved think he didn't love him enough to get married. Misaki wanted to cry, but he knew it would get him nowhere right then. So instead, he proceeded calling out his lover's name.

"Usagi-san?", he shouted, but no answer came. He tried several times, walking up and down the place in hopes the male would hear him somewhere. When nothing came back after several minutes, Misaki decided to walk into one direction because it was better than just standing in the middle of nowhere, alone.

He continued to call for the male, however, nobody responded and his worries grew bigger and bigger. What if Akihiko thought he had walked home and didn't bother to look for him here? What if he had to stay in the forest until morning?

What if he had really hurt Usagi-san?

"Usagi-san, I'm here!" he yelled. "Please don't leave me alone! Usagi-san!"

Suddenly he heard something in the back move. Misaki's heart was beating so fast, he almost didn't hear it. But he did notice the bushes moving from the corners of his eyes. That was the moment Misaki ran forward, ran for his life. He didn't even look back because he was sure the 'thing' was following him. Oh shit, what if it iwas actually right behind him?

He gathered all of his remaining courage to take a glance behind while still running. Thankfully, there was nothing that apparently wanted to have him for dinner. However, as he was running down the forest, he suddenly collided with something - a living being was his first thought. He did not even look up to see what he had just hit. Instead, he just crouched down, arms covering his head protectively while his heart tried to climb out of the boy's ribcage.

"Please don't hurt me!" the boy exclaimed from between his knees. Another voice responded him.

"Exactly my line!" the other protested. "You were the one trying to knock me over, after all!"

The boy looked up from his makeshift barricades, sighing out loudly in relief when he realised it had been Akihiko he'd run into. The man was clutching his chest tightly, obviously as scared as the poor boy.

"Next time you decide to run into me, please do not try to give me a heart-attack! I was looking everywhere for you!"

"Same... here..." Misaki complained, suddenly feeling out of breath. They remained like this for a while, not talking, not moving. As the awkward silence stretched even further, Akihiko decided to help the boy up so he coult at least talk to him properly.

"Misaki... look, I am sorry. I really thought you... we were ready for this, but I had not expected you to react like this. Don't think it is your fault though, I should have asked you first before getting into false assumptions-"

"No!" Misaki was shocked, the man really thought he didn't want this as much as him.

"Look," he began. "There is a reason for me to act like this. Actually, I wanted to propose to you as a sign that I can tackle you as well, I haven't been thinking about it for that long, though. It was after a conversation that had happened recently that I started to consider all this. First, I thought it was not that much of a big deal since we're already... you know... living together, but then I really liked the idea of getting marrired. But then you come up with this proposal of gigantic size! I really didn't know what to do that moment because I was so overwhelmed with it and devastated at the same time because my own plans of proposing to you had gone to waste!" He made a long pause to take a deep breath before continuing. "My point is, I really didn't want to run off like that and if it gave you the wrong idea, I'm terribly sorry!" He proved his statement by bowing before the man. There was that long silence again until Akihiko broke it.

"You... wanted to propose to me?" Now it was his time to look utterly shocked. Misaki steadied himself and when the question sank in, he realised he had just emptied his heart's entire content to the male. The fact made him blush violently and instead of phrasing his answer, he simply nodded curtly, suddenly feeling very embarassed.

Suddenly, the silver-haired male stepped forward to pull misaki into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Misaki. You make me the happiest man in the world", he whispered into the other's ear, tightening his grip around the boy as if he was afraid to let go. Misaki returned the gesture as two slender arms snaked around Akihiko's torso while he buried his head in the man's strong shoulder. Shouldn't those words be his line? It was like he actually had proposed to the male and not vice versa.

When both decided to let go of each other with smiling faces, Akihiko decided to say something.

"I suppose your answer was not 'no', then?"

Misaki just shook his head violently.

"Then may I ask you for your hand once more, my dear Misaki?" He took the box out of his pocket, reopening it.

Suddenly, the boy's eyes began to water. "Nothing better than that," he whispered as his voice broke.

"A simple 'yes' would have been sufficient," he teased, succeeding in making the boy chuckle. He removed the ring from the box, then he took the boy's right hand to gently push it past his ring finger. It fit perfectly and it looked even more beautiful when Misaki was wearing it.

"So pretty," the boy mumbled.

"Not as much as you," Akihiko replied. Misaki adverted his gaze from the ring to his beautiful lover. The male cupped one flushed cheek and kissed away the tears lingering in his eyes. Then his reddened cheeks and finally, his soft lips. Misaki leaned into the kiss, not even thinking of backing away because at this very moment, he was the happiest person alive.

xxx

"So, am I not supposed to wear a wedding ring actually after the wedding?" Misaki asked, observing the sparkling object in his right hand. Not like he had a problem wearing such a beautiful ring.

"This is only the engagement ring," Akihiko replied. "The wedding ring is still at home.

Misaki's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? You actually bought two of these?"

"Of course, silly," the male replied. "Doesn't everyone get two rings?"

_'Yeah, maybe when you belong to a royal family.'_ "Erm... no, not really. My brother only had one ring for Manami-neesan and everybody thinks it's totally sufficient."

They were walking towards the Usami Residence while chatting along. When they arrived, Akihiko opened the door for the boy who entered the estate silently. Much to his surprise, there were noises of merry chatting and clinking glassware. As both men entered the sumptuous living room, everyone greeted the couple with cheering and clapping. The boy looked around surpirsed to notice there were many people in the room and he knew them all. There was Usagi-chichi and Tanaka-san, Aikawa-san and even Kamijou-sensei with his husband and Shinobu and his lover. Everyone had come to celebrate the newly engaged couple.

"Congratulations, Usami-sensei, Misaki-kun!" Aikawa cheered loudly.

"Congrats, man! I thought you'd never get so far with this idiot!" Shinobu exclaimed while Miyagi performed an audible whistle concert.

"You copycat!" Hiroki joked. "Just because I got married doesn't mean you have to go and enslave the boy as well!"

Everyone started laughing and much to Misaki's surprise, Akihiko did as well.

When the laughter slowly faded, Misaki turned towards Akihiko.

"For how long have you been planning all this?" he asked.

"I was thinking of proposing to you for far too long to remember, however, a favourable occasion seemed to never come up. Yesterday evening, I made up my mind and decided to give it a try," Akihiko admitted. "After seeing that magazine of yours."

"WHAT? How is that even possible?" He turned towards the others. "Did you guys see what he's built up outside? There's no way someone could arrange all of this overnight!"

"Akihiko was awake all night to make all this for you," Fuyuhiko commented. "He had a little help from us, of course. Speaking of it, where's Haruhiko?" he addressed his son this time. Akihiko was clueless and just shrugged.

"Usagi-ani? He said he had to go to a meeting after driving me here," Misaki informed the man.

"I... see. Well, Akihiko, isn't there something else you wanted to tell us?"

Akihiko simply nodded. "Right. Well, since everybody is already here, I wanted to announce that our wedding will take place in America and everyone is invited. You don't have to worry about the costs, for my father," he gestured towards the man in question, "has decided to take care of all financial aspects. All that is left for you is to accompany us... at our special day." He looked at Misaki standing next to him when he said the last words, a smile flitting across his face.

The crowd burst into cheers once again after hearing the news. So this would not only be a wedding, but also some sort of vacation as well.

Everyone celebrated in the mansion until past midnight before they begun to leave one after another. In the end, the only ones left were Akihiko's father, the butler, and the engaged couple. Soon the formers left as well, leaving only Misaki and Akihiko in the huge estate.

"We should head home as well, it's gotten late," the boy said, suddenly feeling slighly tired. That moment the male grabbed his lover's - no, his fiancé's - hand and guided him further inside the house.

"Wait, where are we going?" the boy asked, suddenly very confused when Akihiko gave him a toothy grin.

"Just follow me," he replied. So Misaki did as he was told, following the man upstairs and along the corridors until they stopped before a wooden double door. As the novelist opened them without trouble, the boy watched in amazement at the scenery before his eyes.

The room was big, a huge glass wall stretched itself from corner to corner. Outside, the forest came in sight, along with a flawless night sky. There was a mahogany four-poster bed with ivory curtains amidst the room, surrounded by countless small candles spread across the floor. The rose petals scattered above the white sheets looked a bit too cliché, but the scenery was just too beautiful to criticize.

"Wow... that's just... wow," the boy stated, obviously out of words to describe what he was just looking at.

"Glad you like it," Akihiko murmured, suddenly pulling the boy close to his own body. "It took quite a while to arrange all this." He then leaned forward to steal a kiss from those soft lips. Misaki melted under the other's touch, it was surprising that his lover's actions would still make him feel like this after so many years. Their kisses became heated, soon two tongues were battling against each other. In the meantime, Akihiko slid one cold hand under the brunet's t-shirt, working his way from the smooth belly up to the boy's chest, brushing a small bud in the process.

Misaki broke away from the kiss to look at Akihiko properly. "We can't do it here!" he whispered.

"Why not?" the male questioned, brushing his nose against the other's soft neck. "Nobody is here to notice."

"B-but, the bed!"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing! But that's the point: It's too perfect to ruin it just now!"

Akihiko chuckled softly, bumping their foreheads together. "I'll do it again whenever you want to," he breathed on his lips before claiming them once again. Misaki clung onto the taller male's shirt, not thinking that he might rip the expensive garment into pieces. They broke apart for a short time until Akihiko removed the boy's t-shirt and tossed it on the floor where the candles couldn't reach it. Their lips collided several more times, each kiss becoming fiercer and stronger. Misaki had managed to fumble the buttons on the other's shirt open, now pressing their heated bodies together. Akihiko lifted the boy up so he could entwine his slim legs around the male's hips, causing a delicious friction between their groins.

As their movements grew more passionate, the silver-haired man strode carefully towards the huge bed, laying the boy down first before towering above him. He took his time paying attention to the boy's ear, neck, collarbone and chest until his skillful tongue found one perfectly protruding nipple, crying out for attention. So he gave it what it was craving for, causing the boy to let out delicious whimpers.

"Ah... Usagi-san..." He encouraged the man with his little moans to go even deeper, where already a bulge had formed in his tight jeans. Small hands entangled themselves in silver locks as the man continued to lick his way down the boy's stomach, abs quivering each time the male left butterfly kisses on his body. When his chin touched the hem of Misaki's jeans, he quickly unzipped the clothing before pulling it down along with the boy's black boxers. He smirked when a swollen, hard cock greeted him, standing perfectly upright. He didn't hesitate and licked him from base to tip.

"Ngh... hah... U-Usagi san!" Misaki panted, arching his back lightly. God, how much he loved it when his lover used his mouth to skillfully tease him, not that he would ever admit it, though.

The boy let out even more lustful sounds as Akihiko started sucking the boy's member, guiding it in and out of his greedy mouth over and over again. He stopped after a while only to lick his own digits wet before attacking the boy's throbbing cock again.

Slowly, he encircled Misaki's pink entrance with a lubricated finger, gently teasing the hole. Misaki squirmed with pleasure, Akihiko sucking him dry and playing with his bottom was enough to let his lover cry out in ecstasy.

"Ah! Oh god, Usagi-san!" he whimpered. His throat was dry from his uneven breathing and his eyes were lidded, glistering with unshed tears of pleasure.

Right when Akihiko entered the boy with two cool fingers, Misaki let out a wanton moan. He knew what the male would do after preparing him and he couldn't push away those lewd thoughts.

"Do you like this, Misaki? Do you like it when I play with that tight hole of yours like this?" the man breathed, curling his digits inside the younger male. He loved to talk dirty to Misaki, and he was certain the boy enjoyed it as well.

"Nnh... Yeah... Right there- Yes!" the brunet cried out when Akihiko found his sweet spot, rubbing against the prostate lovingly.

"You like this a lot, don't you? Being sucked and fingered at the same time. You are such a dirty little boy, my sweet Misaki," Akihiko breathed on his lover's swollen erection, kissing the leaking tip before pushing his head down all the way to fill his mouth completely with Misaki's delicious cock.

The simultaneous senses of pleasure were enough to send the young male over the edge. He didn't even have time to announce his release before emptying himself into Akihiko's mouth who swallowed down every last drop of the ivory fluid.

Akihiko let the slick organ pop out of his mouth and climbed upwards to face the panting boy underneath him. Slowly, he bent down and claimed Misaki's swollen lips with sweet, tender kisses. One hand slid towards his own groin, where his own hard dick was waiting for its release. The man rubbed himself through his pants shamelessly, moaning softly into the other's mouth as their tongues battled against each other once again. Hearing Usagi-san's cries as he was rubbing his own member made the boy harden again quickly.

As the desire of feeling flesh on flesh overwhelmed Akihiko, he sat up above his partner's hips, unbuttoning his dark pants slowly to make a show out of it for Misaki. Very slowly, he pushed the trousers down along with his underwear until his own thick cock came into sight, standing upright proudly. Misaki licked his lips at the sight before him, the male was a tad bigger than himself and thinking of what he would do with it within the next minutes the boy let out a soft whimper.

As the brunet was enjoying the show, Akihiko slipped out of his remaining clothes in record time and threw them carelessly on the floor. The male wanted body contact with his partner so badly, he almost threw himself onto the boy to kiss him again passionately. Only they weren't really kissing, their tongues just encircled around each other outside their mouths, making the act quite sloppy but even hotter in exchange. Their bodies were grinding against each other until Akihiko couldn't stand it anymore and placed a hand between them, grabbing his greedy cock that had aligned with Misaki's re-erect one and stroking them in a steady rythm.

"Ohh! Ahn... Usagi-san, please," the boy panted hoarsely, moving his hips to feel even more pleasure. Akihiko pumped their erections faster as leaking fluids were exchanged, covering the man's hand and their dicks with a wet coating.

When Misaki started to thrash his head from side to side, the man knew he was ready for more, so he released their swollen members and climbed off the boy. The next thing he did was to grab Misaki's thighs to push them behind, causing his puckered entrance to come into view. When he realised that the brunet kept his legs in place, he moved his hands down to where they were needed the most. He placed his palms on two perfectly shaped butt cheeks, spreading them apart with his digits. He let the boy take several steadying breaths to prepare himself for the next step. Then, slowly, he started to enter the young male.

The heat was incredible and the hole seemed to suck the man's hard penis inside automatically. Carefully, he took his first thrusts inside the younger man, very cautious not to hurt his beloved. After several times of sliding in and out, Misaki started to move his hips on his own, meeting every movement the novelist made. This signaled green light to Akihiko and he proceded to move faster, slamming their sweaty bodies together as pleasure rose inside both males.

"Ahn! Yes, Usagi-san! Ah!" the smaller shouted, snaking his arms around the man's neck while his legs encircled his moving torso. Akihiko grabbed he boy's hips for better penetration, hitting the boy's prostate with each deep thrust.

"Misaki... Ngh, yes... You feel so _good_, my sweet Misaki" the male panted hoarsely. He was sure that Misaki felt the same, considering the sounds that were escaping his ravaged mouth.

"Ah! U- Usagi-san!"

_'Harder. Deeper. Faster.'_

"I'm gonna come!" the boy exclaimed, suddenly feeling panic rise inside him. "I'll dirty the sheets!"

"It's okay, dirty them," Akihiko rasped between small gasps and groans. "Come on, come for me, baby!"

So Misaki came, rows of white fluid escaping his throbbing erection while he shouted out in pleasure. Akihiko was only few thrusts behind, emptying himself deep inside his beloved, calling out his name and never letting go until the end.

When the only remaining feeling of their passionate love-making was a pleasant afterglow, Akihiko slid out of the other and let himself fall next to his lover, pulling him close into a tight embrace.

"I love you, my sweet Misaki. I love you so much," he whispered into the boy's messy hair, leaving gentle kisses on his beautiful face. They just laid there for an eternity, inhaling the scent of their counterpart while waiting for their rapidly beating hearts to calm down. When their bodies had finally relaxed, Akihiko tucked the boy's head under his chin, stroking sweaty strands of hair away from the smaller male's forehead. It was then that Misaki broke the peaceful silence.

"You... didn't tell my brother, right?" he asked weakly, not sure if he wanted to know the answer or not.

"We will tell him tomorrow, together," the silver-haired male replied. Misaki hesitated before turning his head around to face Akihiko properly. His expression had become anxious.

"Hey, it will be all right, don't you worry," Akihiko reassured the boy, kissing away the knits that had appeared between his brows. "He is your brother, after all. I am sure he will be glad to hear the news. As long as you're happy, he should be as well, right?"

After looking at the male for several seconds, Misaki decided that he was probably right and that there was nothing to be concerned about. He gave his lover a brief nod before crawling under the sheets with Akihiko, resting his head on top of the male's chest while the other pulled him closer, securely holding him with strong arms.

Several minutes passed by, and Akihiko was already sleeping soundly with Misaki still close to him. The boy, however, was having difficulties to find inner peace as one question bothered him.

What if nii-san was against their relationship? What if he refused to accept that his little brother was getting married with his best friend?

What would he do?

* * *

**A/N: **Again, thanks so much for reading! Feel free to leave a review for this chapter, it would help me a lot to update faster!

And now: MOAR OoC-ness!

Misaki: Accomplish ALL the tasks!  
Akihiko: Become my sex slave!  
Misaki: But I wanted to ask you to become my slave!  
Hiroki: I have a slave. He's called Nowaki.  
Akihiko: Nobody cares...  
Hiroki: Aww! *devastated*  
Akihiko: IT'S RAEPING TIEM! *tackles Misaki*  
Misaki: But the bed is soo beautiful!  
Akihiko: I DON'T CARE! *smexes into matress*  
Misaki: My brother still doesn't know about me being gay... AFTER SEVEN YEARS!  
Akihiko: It's not called 'being gay'. It's called being FABULOUS! *glittering rainbows*

~Ichigo


	3. Caught

Chapter 3: Caught

**A/N:** Sorry for the tardy update, for there is no explicit smut in this chapter. It really shouldn't have taken me a whole month to update, but I had to write everything on my phone during school, babysitting and on the way since I had to play mommy and study for school and beta read senpai's awesome story when I was at home. Yeah... real life can be a real bitch sometimes. *eyes roll*

**Warning: **This story may contain yaoi, smut, angsty moments, foul language, violence, drug abuse, overuse of the word 'god', ooc-ness (to moderate extent), Akihiko with a (somewhat) British accent, typos and really bad grammar, because me no can speak engrish.

**Disclaimer: **Oh, if only... *sigh*

* * *

The next day started with a textbook morning: The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the world seemed to be in perfect harmony.

Misaki was the first to wake up on Akihiko's chest and recall the events of the previous day. Everything still seemed like a wonderful dream and he actually had to glimpse at his hand to reassure himself that it had been reality. And reality could be very beautiful indeed, the boy thought as he stretched his arm to grab some bits of sunlight, causing the ring on his finger to glitter-shine-sparkle in a breathtakingly beautiful way.

From this moment on, he was engaged to the great lord, Usami Akihiko!

Even though he had wanted to propose to his beloved by himself, it did not matter anymore since the outcome would have been the same, anyway. It was a heartwarming thought to know that they would be married soon and he couldn't help but recall his senpai's words from the other day. A smile flitted across his lips, it really was like a dream coming true. He suddenly felt like a silly girl, tucking his hand beneath his chin and giggling softly.

"Someone has a very good morning indeed," Akihiko mumbled sleepily, probably awoken by Misaki's movements.

The novelist lifted himself slowly from the warm bedsheets to look at his lover properly. Misaki's hair was messy, he was carrying a faint smile and rosy cheeks. 'Just too adorable,' he thought. The man leaned closer to plant a sweet kiss on the boy's soft tresses, making him blush even more.

"Good morning, my dear," he mumbled as he looked deeply into emerald eyes. A rose petal had lost itself between the boy's chocolate locks. He lifted a cool hand to release the poor thing, stroking the younger male's silky hair. "How are you feeling?"

A little embarassed this time, Misaki recalled their rather passionate night from the day before and was certain that he had not received any injuries from their intense love-making.

"Fine, I guess." He then adverted his gaze, not daring to look into the male's eyes deeply as it would only cause his face to redden even more. Akihiko caught his chin in the act and held it steady in place. He then leaned forward once again, but this time to claim the boy's full lips. Misaki closed his eyes as his lover started to explore his mouth even further. When their kisses became deeper with each movement, it was the brunet who broke away shyly.

"I... gotta go to work soon," he stated. The excuse seemed to work as Akihiko climbed off the bed to put on his clothes he had scattered across the floor the former night.

"I'll make us some coffee," he suggested, leaving the room shortly after.

Misaki decided to stay in the comfortable bed a little longer, letting himself fall into white covers to think about the following days. How would he explain the whole situation to his brother? Although he assumed that he could talk to his nii-san without him freaking out since he usually kept calm all the time, he was not sure what the man would think about it. Unfortunately, Takahiro had been acting too protective over the years when it came to his little brother. There was no need for that anymore though, he was twenty-five, for Christ's sake!

Misaki could do nothing but hope that their conversation would turn out all right.

It had gotten rather late and the boy finally decided to hop out of the bed, mainly to check on Akihiko because he was the only person on earth who could do anything wrong while making something as simple as coffee.

Right when Misaki slipped into his jeans and was struggling to put his t-shirt on, the smell of burning food entered his nose. He rushed out of the room, almost tripping over his own feet while running along the corridor and down the stairs.

"Usagi-san, something's burning!" he yelled, heart beating rapidly in his chest from the sudden rush of adrenaline. However, when he reached the mansion's huge kitchen, Akihiko was casually standing before the stove, cooking god-knew-what since the pan's content had gotten an unrecognizable colour.

"What the hell are you doing?" the boy exclaimed.

Akihiko gave him a look that clearly said 'Isn't it obvious?'

"I was making octopus sausages and omelette. Can't you see?"

"Well, no! Obviously, this doesn't look like meat and eggs anymore!" He gestured towards the fuming mess of indefinable something.

Akihiko furrowed his brows in a disappointed manner. "It looks perfectly edible! I really do not know what your problem is."

"Usagi-san, you're not serious about eating this, right?"

The novelist crossed his arms. "Of course I am! I would never joke about food."

Suddenly, Misaki had that terrible urge to slap his forehead until it would bleed. Why did that guy always have to be so proud and stubborn?

In the end, the two males were sitting together on the expensive kitchen table, swallowing down their 'breakfast' and apparently Misaki was the only one not enjoying the meal.

"Delicious," Akihiko mumbled between bites of his self-made masterpiece. "I really have no clue what you are complaining about."

"Seriously? I thought you were supposed to be the one with a good taste!" Considering the silver-haired man's well-being, he should be swimming in delicious goods, the boy mused. And here he was, praising his 'splendid cooking talents'. He never failed to surprise the young male with his actions.

"Well, whatever," the brunet stated, swallowing down one last bit of cinder-sausage. "I gotta go now or else I'll be late for work."

"Alright, alright, I'm almost done!" Akihiko whined, already gathering up plates and silverwear to put them into the sink quickly. "Tanaka will clean that up later," he added. "Let's just go."

They left the mansion together with quick steps before driving off into morning traffic. Fortunately, the roads were not as crowded as the day before and they reached Misaki's employment in no time. Right when the boy bid his lover good-bye, he was grabbed by the wrist and pulled towards the driver's seat. Akihiko gave him a brief kiss on the lips, startling the clueless young male for a second.

"Just for recharge," Akihiko commented. "Have a nice day at work!"

"Y- Yeah, thanks, you too," Misaki stuttered, crawling out of the vehicle quickly with coloured cheeks. Seriously, when would he ever stop acting like a silly girl around Usagi-san?

xxx

When Misaki arrived at Marukawa Publishing, everyone, and really, _everyone_, seemed to stare daggers into the clueless boy and Misaki wondered if he had remains of his earlier breakfast on his face. After checking the corners of his mouth for leftovers, he perceived there was nothing wrong with himself, so why were they looking at him so intensely?

As if fate had planned to answer to his question, a familiar man in his thirties approached the brunet with long steps.

"Chibi-tan!" he exclaimed, taking the boy's hands into his own and shaking them violently. A gleeful expression was plastered on his face. "Congratulations on your engagement! I wish I could have joined the festivities yesterday, but unfortunately, there was a very important meeting I just had to attend!"

Misaki felt like a piece of cloth being shaken furiously as the male was still whirling the boy around, leaving him with stars dancing before his eyes and a terrible headache.

"Isaka-san, how on earth do you know about this?" he whined.

"Oh, that's easy!" the man chirped. "Aikawa-san told me! Actually, everyone knows about the great news! I mean, it was only a matter of time until they would know about the engagement of our most famous author, right?" He patted Misaki on the shoulder, if not a bit too hard.

"I-Is that so?" The boy's eye began to twitch visibly. Now all the staring he received made sense, of course.

Isaka nodded violently. "Yep! But don't you worry your little head off, cutie. You know what they say: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas... or something like that. Right guys?" He turned around enthusiastically to get a glimpse of his employees returning rapidly to what they had been doing before witnessing the interesting conversation between the two.

Misaki hoped from the bottom of his heart that the man was right. The least he needed right now was the entire world to know that he was just as straight as a circle.

As the man decided that he should probably return to work instead of chattering with one of his employees in the middle of the hallway, the next person was apparently waiting for his turn to wish the young male congratulations.

"Misaki-kun?"

The boy turned around to see who on earth was daring to talk to him at this very moment. Much to the boy's surprise, it was Ijuuin-senpai.

"Is it true that you and Akihiko-san are getting married?"

"Senpai! Please, not you as well!" the brunet exclaimed, looking at the male with pleading eyes.

"But why not?" the mangaka chuckled. "Aren't these wonderful news? Mind you, I didn't think you would propose to him so shortly after our conversation. So tell me, where did you ask him? At home? At a restaurant?"

Misaki scratched his nose with a sheepish expression. "Er... Well... Actually, Usagi-san proposed to me before I could."

The male started to laugh aloud, however, when he saw his junior pout with a deep frown, it dimmed down to a light chuckle.

"Oh well, but it is the result that matters, right? And since the outcome would have been the same anyway, it's okay, I guess. So, what does the ring look like?"

Misaki immediately stretched out his right hand to present said jewellery. "This is only the engagement ring, though. I don't know what the wedding ring looks like, either."

Ijuuin's eyes rounded after hearing the boy's words. Observing the brunet's finger closely, he said: "It looks really beautiful. Akihiko-sensei has a very good taste indeed."

"Er... Yeah..." Misaki automatically recalled their breakfast and shuddered visibly. Apparently, he was the only person who knew about the male's bad eating habits.

"It looks quite expensive, but I wouldn't expect less from the great lord, Usami Akihiko," the male added before steadying himself.

"Let's talk about the wedding's details later, okay? I guess we both should return to work now before someone starts to complain." He bid the boy goodbye with a wink before he turned on his heels and left, leaving the boy alone in the middle of the hallway. Shaking his head in disbelief, Misaki decided to follow the male's example, walking towards the elevator that would take him to the floor he was needed the most at the moment.

xxx

"You have no idea what I've been through last night," Shinobu started, stepping on the gas as the lights turned green. "While you were probably busy humping your 'Mister Bunny', Miyagi and I were about to knock each other's heads off!"

"Not again!" Misaki exclaimed, turning around in his seat to look at his best friend properly. "Don't tell me that you broke up again! That would make, how may times, three this month?"

The young male in the driver's seat snorted audibly. "Shut up! And that's not even true, it's happened only twice!"

"One more or less won't change it, either." Misaki sing-songed, still gazing at the person sitting next to him with crossed arms.

"Change what?"

"That you guys just can't stop arguing! I already have the impression that you actually enjoy it."

Shinobu had to surpress a choked laugh with one hand. "What, now I'm a masochist? Oh please, your jokes are just getting worse with every- _woah_!"

He turned the steering wheel just in time before almost colliding with another car. The driver dedicated the blond a honking orchestra while the boy thanked him with a few verbal obscenities.

"Hey, calm down", Misaki protested. "It was your fault for not looking at the road properly, idiot!"

"Oh, so now you're a professional driver? Come back when you have your license, genius!"

The brunet pouted at this. "S- Shut up! Not everyone has to own a license, you know!"

"You only say that because you didn't pass the test. Otherwise I wouldn't have to pick you up after work right now," Shinobu teased. Damn it, why did everyone have to bring the poor boy down today? And the day was not even over yet!

They came to a halt before the cafe they had planned to go to the day before. There were lots of things to discuss and going to their own places was not the most brilliant idea since both had curious lovers waiting at home. This place provided them at least a little privacy.

They sat down and ordered drinks before Shinobu asked that one question Misaki still had trouble thinking about.

"So, when will you tell your brother?"

"...Nice weather, isn't it?"

"_Misaki_!" the blond exclaimed. "Focus! You have to tell him sooner or later!"

Misaki gave his friend a sheepish grin. "Well, I'd prefer later, you know."

"You mean, never?"

The brunet let his shoulders hang down in defeat.

"Come on, it can't be that difficult," his friend stated. "When I told my old man about me and Miyagi, he was totally fine with it!"

Misaki failed at trying to find nice words to say. "Are you fucking kidding me? Your dad almost suspended the poor guy after getting a heart-attack!"

When the waitress came along to bring their drinks, the boys decided to continue their conversation at a lower volume, considering the glares they were receiving from the other guests.

"Anyway," Shinobu began, "That's not the issue right now. You said you've invited your brother for dinner this evening, right?"

The boy answered with a brief nod.

"Well, that's perfect! You can tell him today then!"

"What? _No_!" Misaki exclaimed. "I didn't invite him over to give him the shock of his life!"

The blond furrowed his brows. "And what makes you think he'll react so badly? Actually, I'm pretty sure he knows it already."

Misaki desperately waved his arms around. "B- But-"

When Shinobu gave his friend a glare that could have let the boy burst into flames, Misaki froze midway between his actions.

"Do it," Shinobu growled at the other male. He looked so sinister that even if Misaki wanted to complain, he could not do so much as to whimper under his friend's threatening glares.

"O- Okay, maybe I can tell him today," Misaki gave in meekly. His friend seemed to be satisfied with the boy's answer as a triumphal grin conquered half of his face.

xxx

By the time they reached the street Misaki was living in, the boy was actually surpised they had arrived there without getting any injuries, considering his friend's driving skills. While searching a parking lot, the blond recognized a familiar car standing where he would usually place his vehicle when paying his friend a visit.

"Oh great, and I was hoping not to see Miyagi until returning home," Shinobu complained. "Couldn't he find another buddy to have a smoke with?"

Misaki had to admit that their lovers had started to spend a lot of time together since Miyagi had once come along with his boyfriend to Akihiko's appartement. Although the boy did not mind the novelist to have company more often, the other did not appreciate it at all.

"I bet he's whining about me again," Shinobu stated, unbuckling his seat belt after finally finding an empty spot along the street. Misaki mirrored his actions, stepping out of the car before heading towards the appartement. When they reached the front door, laughter was coming from the other side.

"And you know what I told him after that? 'I don't care if you're not my student, you can't run around in school with no shirt on'- Oh, hi Misaki-kun!"

Miyagi seemed to be in high spirits, however, as  
he saw who had come along with the boy, his expression faded quickly. Seeing this, Shinobu stared back at him with an annoyed expression.

Misaki ignored the glaring contest between the two. Instead, he strolled towards the table amidst the living room and picked up the book he had borrowed from his friend several days ago before handing it to his friend. The blond grabbed it without disturbing the eye-contact with his boyfriend.

"... I think it is time for me to go home." Miyagi was on his way outside when his lover followed him angrily before shortly waving Misaki good-bye.

"H- Hey, Wait! So now you start avoiding me?" the blond started, provoking another argument as the couple turned around the corner. But Akihiko simply shut the door before Misaki could hear the following conversation.

"When will they ever stop arguing?" Misaki mumbled to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose lightly. Hearing this, Akihiko simply answered: "Probably when pigs fly!" before pulling his fiancé close to attack his soft lips. At first, the young male leaned into his lover's touch, but then something came to his mind and he pulled away quickly.

"... Did you call my brother?" he asked hesitantly. Akihiko gave him a brief nod. "They will arrive around six."

Misaki glanced at his watch. It was ten past five, so there was still plenty of time to think about how he would explain everything to his brother. Concern marred his beautiful face and Akihiko placed a cool finger under the boy's chin.

"Hey, look at me. It will be alright, don't worry," he reassured his lover. "Takahiro is a reasonable man, he will understand."

Misaki chewed on his bottom lip, not sure what to say.

"... Yeah, you're probably right."

xxx

One hour later, Misaki had finished cooking and decided to sit in the living room until his brother and sister-in-law would arrive. Akihiko seated himself next to his lover who was switching tv channels aimlessly. It was obvious that the boy's anxiety rose with every passing second, so the silver-haired male snaked a strong arm around Misaki's shoulders as the brunet leaned his head on his partner's shoulder.

"What if he won't understand?" he questioned at some point, to what Akihiko answered by pulling the young male closer into a tight embrace.

"Well, then I should start to find a nice place to hide his corpse," he joked.

Misaki gave the man's arm a light slap, too tired from thinking to argue with anyone at the moment. "Baka," he mumbled lightly, worried eyes still focused on the television. When suddenly the doorbell rang, Misaki almost jumped off the sofa, his heart beating quicker than before. He gave Akihiko one last glance before hesitantly opening the door with a nervous smile plastered on his tense face.

"Good evening, my little Misaki!" Takahiro chirped before suddenly glomping his brother, almost suffocating the poor boy. Manami was standing close behind her husband, waving one hand towards Misaki with an apoligetic smile while holding a bottle of wine in the other.

"Good to see you guys." Akihiko approached the door happily, suddenly acting all gentleman-like. "Please, come in!" He gestured inside the apartment before they stepped inside, Takahiro still having Misaki in tow.

"Nii-san, you're suffocating me!" the boy complained at some point until his brother finally let go of him.

"Sorry, Misaki," the male apologized. "It's just that I missed you _so_ much!" He demonstrated that by stretching his arms out wide in opposite directions.

"I can see that having two children has mashed your brain up quite a lot," Misaki teased. "Speaking of them, why didn't you bring Mahiro and Saya with you?"

"We decided to let them stay at my parents' house since they get tired very quickly," the woman answered. "Besides, Takahiro can't drink when the children are around. Right, darling?" She glanced towards said male who was carrying a sheepish expression.

"Well, I don't want to be a bad influence on them, after all!"

Everybody started to laugh wholeheartedly before Misaki informed the couple that dinner was ready, so they decided to save the conversations for later.

After taking a seat and serving the food in front of everyone, Misaki had to listen to his brother praising him for apparently being the best cook one could ever wish for.

"Nii-san, you're making me feel embarrassed!" the boy exclaimed.

"How so? I'm just telling the truth, that's all! Right, Akihiko?" he turned towards his friend who simply gave the man a promising smile.

"Your brother is right, Misaki," the novelist stated. "Without your delicious cooking, I wouldn't have survived a single day longer."

The room was filled with laughter again, but then Takahiro said something that caused the mood to sway immediately.

"I feel so bad for your future wife," he begun. "She'll have to be one hell of a cook to surpass your talents! Speaking of it, I bet there already is a special someone you want to introduce to us?"

Suddenly, there was a chill in the air that nobody could put a finger on, leaving a trail of uncertainity on Misaki. Opposite contemplations haunted his mind, forcing him to admit to his brother what had been a well-kept secret over many years or to simply remain silent. The words hung on the tip of his tongue, he only had to spill them.

He didn't.

"Er... no, not really," the boy stuttered, not daring to view his lover's disappointed expression.

"Really? And I was so sure the girls were practically throwing themselves at my handsome little brother!" Takahiro laughed. Apparently, he was the only person who found the whole situation amusing as everyone else was clad in silence.

Misaki chewed on his bottom lip, shifting in his seat as he couldn't stand the tension anymore. "...Niisan," he began. "I... There's something I need to tell-"

"Misaki, this stew is simply delicious!" Manami suddenly interrupted the young male, attracting everyone's attention towards herself. "You just have to give me the receipt for this!"

The boy was startled for a second, taking his time to put his thoughts back in order before answering the woman who gave the brunet a cheerful smile.

"Uh... Sure," he mumbled, still confused by the sudden change of subject. There was not even a second where Misaki could mourn his loss of an opportunity to talk about everything as Takahiro suddenly stood up, carrying an excited grin.

"Well, since everyone's done eating, let's have something to drink, shall we?" he chirped, rubbing his hands together. Akihiko lifted himself as well, following his friend into the living room as they chattered along.

Misaki now turned his head towards Manami. "You don't want to accompany them?" he questioned, collecting a few dishes during the process.

The woman shook her head lightly. "I'll help you clean up," she answered.

They were placing the dishes in the sink, one of them was cleaning while the other dried the finished ones. And even though none of them uttered a single word, the acoustic level inside the apartment was relatively high.

After emptying half of the bottle, Takahiro started laughing hysterically while Akihiko talked along. The television was running permanently, filling every corner with more noise than needed. Misaki did not mind though. On the contrary: The joyous atmosphere had a calmimg effect on him, leaving a warm flutter in his chest. It seemed like they were a happy, big family.

However, the feeling did not last long as dark thoughts clouded his mind yet again. What they had now, would it last after the wedding? What if his brother really was against it? What if he would never come to this place again, would abandon his best friend, would abandon his sibling?

Sighing out loud in frustration, he brought a hand to his temple, rubbing his forehead with cold fingers. Manami followed the male's movement with attentive eyes until she perceived something that clearly hadn't been there the last time they had seen each other.

"Oh my, that's a beautiful ring you're wearing!"

Misaki froze between his actions, eyes opened wide in shock. He had totally forgotten about the ring!

Oh shit!

"E-Er... Well... T-Thanks," he stuttered, trying to hide his shaking hand behind his back, knowing it would be pointless as the damage had already been done. Even so, he was surprised when she grabbed his wrist gently, bringing it into sight again.

"Don't worry," she whispered when she felt her husband's eyes on her for a brief moment. "He doesn't know about it yet, even though it was pretty obvious from the beginning, right? Although," she giggled lightly. "Takahiro was never the brightest person, anyway."

"Wait, so you know about..." His eyes darted towards Akihiko for a split second and then to Manami, again and again.

The woman leaned forward with a gleeful expression, resting her palms on her slim hips. "Of course, silly!"

"B-But how? When? Why?"

She crossed her arms, a triumphal grin was plastered on her beautiful face. "Well, there are certain things in the world a woman just knows about."

Misaki made a confused expression before the woman continued. "Anyway, I know you wanted to tell Takahiro about your future plans earlier, and I'm really sorry for interrupting you. However, I think it would be easier for you if I had a little talk with him before that."

Scratching his forehead lightly, he thought about Manami's offer. Indeed, it could be rather problematic if Misaki tried to talk about 'that matter' out of the blue. So maybe it was not such a bad idea, after all...

"...Okay, I'm counting on you!"

xxx

It was past midnight when everyone decided to go to bed. Takahiro had dozed off on the couch after emptying the rest of the bottle by himself, so Misaki had proposed the married couple to sleep over and everyone had agreed. However, this also meant that Misaki had to sleep in his own room that he hadn't entered in ages. Actually, because Misaki had only needed it to go to bed anyway - but since he was dragged into Akihiko's bedroom every night - the room had become quite unnecessary over time.

Misaki was laying in his small bed, staring at the ceiling when notmally he should be fast asleep. He could not relax for some reason, maybe because he was thinking about the next day and the confrontation with his brother. Or because he hadn't slept in his own bed in years.

Or because somebody was missing by his side...

The boy turned to his right, watching the ring on his finger shine in the pale moonlight. It surprised Misaki a lot to realize that Akihiko was one of the reasons why he couldn't fall asleep. Had he become so dependant on Usagi-san? Granted, they had been a couple for several years and recently decided to get married. So maybe it was not so bad to think of his fiancé more often...

Suddenly, there was a faint knock on his door, pulling the boy out of his thoughts. Misaki crawled from under his bedsheets to look who was still up in the middle of the night.

He hesitated for a moment before gently opening the door, trying to make as little sound as possible.

"...Usagi-san?"

His lover was standing upright before him with an undefinable expression, however, it sent a shiver down the boy's spine as Akihiko observed him closely. Dominant, lavender eyes focused on clueless, emerald orbs as the novelist stepped inside and closed the door behind him, his silky hair shining in the pale light of the moon.

"Misaki," he rasped quietly, inching forward until he was only one heartbeat away from the still confused brunet.

"Y-yeah?" the boy responded, trying to step away from his lover and his predatory eyes.

Without a warning, Akihiko grabbed the younger male's shoulders and whirled him around, ungently pushing him against the cool door. Misaki let out a small yelp before being silenced by soft, full lips.

"Mh!" It happened so fast that the boy could do nothing but close his eyes and lean into the forceful kiss while Akihiko pressed his own clothed chest against Misaki's, leaving no air between them and the door behind the brunet.

The boy's mind began to spin under the other's touch, cold hands slid from his shoulders down his chest and barely caressed slim hips. When he felt his ass being squeezed lightly, Misaki subconsciously lifted one leg to coil it around Akihiko, grinding their hips together in the process. Both males sighed into each other's mouth as their passionate kiss deepened with every second, a skillful tongue dominating the younger male's completely.

They broke away only to gasp for air before Akihiko occupied the other's mouth once more, gently biting a swollen bottom lip before sucking it in. Misaki's body was aflame when the man began to kiss his way down the boy's neck, leaving a damp trail on his soft skin.

"Misaki, I want you so much!"

"U-Usagi-san... we shouldn't..."

When Akihiko attempted to pop his lover's nightshirt open with quick movements, Misaki found it difficult to push the male away gently with weak arms.

"What's the matter?" Akihiko whispered, leaning forward to taste his beloved's burgundy lips with a skillful tongue, demanding for entrance.

Misaki was breathing heavily, trying to form understandable syllables as his mind was suffering from blood loss when it was obviously circulating elsewhere. "Nii-san... and... Manami-neesan... they're... next door..."

Akihiko smirked, his lover had not rejected him, right? His only concern was his brother, but that was a problem the male surely had a solution for.

Pulling the boy away from the door, he gently opened it before taking his fiancé by the hand and dragging him outside quickly.

"Come with me!"

Misaki asked where they were going and Akihiko had to surpress the urge to roll his eyes, weren't his intentions obvious enough?

"Bedroom," the silver-haired male answered curtly, a mischievous grin plastered on his handsome face. Misaki's eyes rounded in disbelief, however, a light twitch on the corner of his mouth gave him away. Apparently, the brunet was not so indignant, after all...

They tiptoed their way towards the stairs, trying to make as little sound as possible. It was difficult though as they giggled their way upwards, stumbling into the upper floor hand in hand. Misaki felt like a teenager all over again, trying to smuggle his boyfriend inside while his parents were asleep.

Finally, they reached Akihiko's bedroom and shut the door. The next minute both males were on each other again; biting, sucking, exploring. Soon they were panting hoarsely in harmony, their body temperatures rising with every kiss they stole from each other.

Suddenly, Misaki was thrown into the bed before Akihiko began to play with the buttons of his shirt, revealing more skin with each passing second. As the male completed his task, he quickly guided his silky tongue over one rosy bud, managing to elicit a loud gasp out of his lover who covered his mouth with one hand abruptly.

"We have to be quiet," Misaki whispered when the novelist quirked an eyebrow at him.

"They can not hear us up here," Akihiko mouthed, closing the gap between them by attacking the brunet's swollen lips again.

As the couple proceeded to come at each other, neither noticed when suddenly the door flew open.

"Usagi, I can't find the water!" somebody mumbled sleepily. Both males snapped their heads up into the direction the voice was coming from and froze in place as they recognized who was standing in the doorframe, watching a pair of eyes round in disbelief.

"... Misaki?"

The boy turned a dark shade of red, not daring to look into the eyes of his brother. Never in his life had he felt so ashamed before.

"Nii-san... I... It's not what it looks like..." Misaki had no words to say, glancing at Akihiko desperately, but he was in a much worse condition than himself. His lavender orbs were empty, staring into nothingness as his body stiffened more with each second.

"Akihiko," Takahiro began, stepping inside the dark bedroom with a dangerous frown on his face. His eyes narrowed into thin slits, revealing only his searching pupils. "What's going on here?"

* * *

**A/N:** CLIFFHANGER! I am ever so sorry to leave you guys this tardy update, but the next chapter will start with 'the talk' so, stay tuned! *winks*

Many thanks to my awesome rewievers: sekhoya990, Aimee. Lilith, SweetBlackay, nike2822 and SuzukiChiyeko. You guys are the reason I continue this story! *huggles everyone*

OoC-ness, anyone?

Misaki: OH MAH LAWD! I AM ENGAGED TO A RICH MAN!

Akihiko: *Mickey-Mouse-gloves-epic-double-facepalm*

Misaki: *victory robot dance*

Akihiko: ... I think I'll just go and make some coffee... Yeah...

Misaki: DA HOUSE IS ON FIRE!1!one!1

Misaki: ... Nevermind, it's just Usagi burning food.

Akihiko: I

Akihiko: AM

Akihiko: JAMIE OLIVER!

Misaki: WHY U NO STOP STARING AT ME?!

Isaka: Everybody knows that you're gay.

Misaki: Even in Europe?

Isaka: Especially in Europe.

Pedojuuin: This ring looks like sh*t!

Misaki: FALCON PUNCH!

Pedojuuin: *flies into stratosphere* I SHALL COME BAAAAAAAaaaaaaack... *twinkle*

Shinobu: YOU HAD SMEX WITH A BUNNY!

Misaki: Still better than to go bananas over a fight...

Shinobu: I AM NOT INTO THAT! *is mad*

Takahiro: So, what kind of girl are you banging at the moment?

Misaki: It's Akihmphfhmpf!

Manami: *strangles Misaki*

Misaki: How did you know about me and Akihiko?

Manami: Because I am a woman. DUH! I know everything! Therefore, I am god! So praise me!

Misaki: But-

Manami: PRAISE ME!

Akihiko: I WAS MADE FOR LOVING YOU, BAAAYBEEEH!

Takahiro: Usagi, where's the water? *le gasp* OH MAH GAWD! MY EYES! THEY'RE BURNING!

Akihiko: ... Misaki, have fun explaining everything in the next chapter. MEEP, MEEP! *runs away*

Misaki: NOOOOoooo...

~Ichigo


	4. Prejudice

**A/N:** What a beautiful weather to go outside! And what the hell am I doing? Sitting in my room only to finish this chapter! So I hope you guys are at least a little grateful and leave me a review!

Okay so at this point I want to say that you'll probably hate Takahiro after this chapter. Like, despise him so much that you'd like to watch his head explode or something. But believe me, it was so much fun writing from his point of view! (Especially when he takes his children to the daycare center *evil grin*) I'm sure you guys will see soon enough that the male is far too naïve to let him walk around outside alone.

And since this chapter is partly unbeta'd for now, forgive me if there are any severe plot holes, I promise to fix them later! I just wanted to upload this chapter as soon as possible since some of you have started to blackmail me because apparently I was taking too long to update!

**Warning: **This story may contain yaoi, smut, angsty moments, foul language, violence, drug abuse, overuse of the word 'god', ooc-ness (to moderate extent), Akihiko with a (somewhat) British accent, typos and really bad grammar, because me no can speak engrish.

Lemon alert in this chapter! (Is that even a useful warning? I mean the story _is_ rated M for a reason...)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Junjou Romantica. I do own a Death Note, though. *totally not threatening you guys or something*

* * *

"So you're telling me you have been in a relationship behind my back for all these years?"

Takahiro was not pleased at all. In fact, he was mad and disappointed. Mad, because apparently, everyone except himself had known of the couple's not-so-well hidden secret. Disappointed, because he felt like he had been betrayed by two of the most important people in his life.

Everyone had gathered in the living room after the incident. Misaki was sitting on the couch, head bowed in shame as he could not look into his brother's cruel eyes any longer. Akihiko stood to his right like a guardian, one hand resting on his lover's trembling shoulder to comfort him. They were both equally hurt from Takahiro's actions, however, the man knew he had to be strong to protect Misaki from his brother's cold glare.

"I... I really wanted to tell you-" Misaki begun desperately, not knowing what to do with his hands, clenching and unclenching them nervously.

"And when exactly were you intending to tell me? At my funeral?" Takahiro spat, causing Manami to flinch visibly behind her husband.

"Darling, please, try to be a bit-"

"Be what? Calm? _Reasonable_? My little brother tells me that he's _fucking gay_, and you want me to be _calm_?" He barked out the last word with such force that the woman narrowed her eyes in pain, the words still resonating unbearably in her ears.

Misaki found it difficult to hold back the droplets of salty water hanging thickly on his lowered lashes, threatening to roll down his reddened cheeks. The way he said out that word... It sounded like some sort of disease. Did his brother really mean it that way? Was it so wrong to be happy with another man?

A storm was beginning to form outside. Raindrops knocked on the windows as the sound of thunder filled the saddening silence in the room.

Misaki felt the grip on his shoulder tighten as he failed to muffle a choked cry. Even though Akihiko was suffering as much as himself, he was unbelievably grateful that the novelist was beside him, comforting him. He knew that his lover still cared about Takahiro and that only made his burden even more unbearable. Yet, Misaki couldn't think about what would have happened to himself if Akihiko had not been there to support him.

Takahiro proceeded to vent his anger on Misaki, shouting words that felt like bullets shot through the boy's heart as tears welled up in swollen eyes over and over again.

"Just tell me, Misaki. What the hell were you thinking? Is this some sort of game to you? Do you think it's funny to give your brother the shock of his life by being... _together_ with his best friend?"

The male obviously avoided using the word 'relationship' as he found the thought of his brother being physically and emotionally bound to another man absurd. A relationship should involve a nice woman his age he could get married with someday, buying a lovely house with a huge garden, raising a family and having children and all that. So what kind of a relationship could two men ever have?

"This is not a joke," Akihiko stated as he realised that Misaki could not find the courage to let out a single sound since the boy was occupied with wiping his eyes vigorously. His attempts to cease his tears, however, prove to be futile as relentless droplets formed in emerald orbs once again.

"I'm not talking to you, Akihiko!" the male snarled in response. "And what the hell were you thinking anyway? I don't care who you were fooling around with before, but Misaki is my brother and _ten years younger than you_! I tolerated your actions during college, but we're not teenagers anymore!"

"This time it's different," Akihiko responded flatly. "I am no longer the foolish boy you knew from the past. Since I have met Misaki, my life has changed for the better. And you of all people should be aware of that the best."

"Don't give me that kind of bullshit!" he hissed. "That still doesn't give you the right to pull my brother into your sick world!"

Takahiro knew he was crossing many lines at this point. Never before had he judged his friend by his sexual preferences, not even after discovering the novels he was writing aside from his main projects. On the contrary, he had found it amusing to some degree that the novelist would write those silly stories for some thirteen year old girls who would giggle all over everything immediately. He had never been the type to forejudge anybody, and he knew he was hurting Akihiko so very much at this moment, but this... This was too much, even for a tame person like himself.

"Just because this kind of topic is out of your comfort zone does not mean it is something bad," the silver-haired male answered.

"But it is _wrong_!" Takahiro replied vibrantly.

"How so?"

"A man simply can't have a proper relationship with another man! How the hell did you think it would work out anyway? Have a physical relationship for the rest of your life? What about family? What about diseases? Did it ever occur to you that you could catch STD's from each other, like Aids?"

Misaki jumped off his seat, furrowing his brows in annoyance. "Being gay doesn't prove that one has to carry diseases around. Besides, we got tested years ago and none of us have been diagnosed with anything communicable!"

"Besides, this is not only about superficial relationships," Akihiko remarked. "Misaki and I decided to get married."

"... What?"

Akihiko's statement came unexpected, leaving both his fiancé and his friend in shock.

"Misaki, is that true?"

The boy hesitated for a moment before giving his brother a brief nod. "Nii-san, I am officially engaged to Usagi-san, and... I was hoping for your blessing-"

Takahiro's mouth snapped open. "I- I can't believe this!" he bursted out. "Are you nuts? Marriage isn't something you dive head first into!"

"We have been together for _seven years_! What on earth is precipitous about our wedding?" Misaki exclaimed.

His brother replied quickly. "But you're both _males_! What will other people think of us after hearing you're in a relationship with a man?"

This time, it was Akihiko who cut into the conversation. "How can you be so obsequious to society? Does your brother's happiness mean nothing to you?"

Takahiro's eyes rounded outraged, Akihiko's words had hit him hard. "Of course it does! Otherwise I wouldn't make a spectacle of myself right now!"

"Your arguments are not helpful at all!" Akihiko pulled Misaki close to his body. "Misaki and I will get married, and nothing will change this!"

And with that, everything seemed to be spoken. Takahiro let his head sink in defeat, clenching his fists when Manami tried to comfort her husband.

"It's alright, Takahiro," she encouraged the male. "Why don't we just accept that your brother is happy and celebrate the great news? I am sure Akihiko will take good care of Misaki."

Takahiro lifted his head slowly, glancing around with a sad expression.

"How can you all do this to me?" Takahiro's voice came as a mere whisper as he looked at his little brother. "What would mother and father think of you when they were here?"

Ouch.

The statement had caught Misaki entirely off-guard, and Takahiro was aware of that. He knew it was unfair of him to mention his parents since Misaki still thought that he had been the reason they had died in that car accident in the first place. Yet, the male became more desperate with each second as he tried everyting in his might to convince his brother that what he was doing was wrong. Losing this dispute was an option he clearly refused to let happen with every fiber of his body.

But instead of reacting how Takahiro had hoped his brother to, the boy became angry.

"You're _not_ mom and dad!"

"_I am your brother_!" Takahiro shouted. "I looked after you when nobody else did! I even quit university because of _you_! And that's the way you thank me for everything? By _betraying_ me?"

"_No!_" Misaki collapsed to his knees, covering his teary eyes with two shaking hands. Takahiro did not move at first, but then he approached the weeping boy with long, resonating steps to grab his arm.

"I've had enough of this. You're coming with me!"

However, Akihiko was quicker than him, stretching his hand out to catch Takahiro before he could accomplish his actions.

The novelist gave the male a warning glance, eyes blazing with fury.

"If you do so much as touch a single hair of Misaki, I will..." he hissed through gritted teeth.

Takahiro returned the stare, regarding his friend with equal intensity and venom in his eyes.

"Do what, Akihiko? _Hurt_ me? You already caused enough damage as it is!" He then glanced towards the boy kneeling on the floor. "Stand up. And quit whining like a girl!"

Hearing this, The silver-haired male yanked on the other's arm to catch his attention. "Don't you dare talk to Misaki in that tone!"

"Who gives _you_ the right to tell me how to talk to _my_ brother?" the male snarled, looking down on his brother as he tried to pull away his arm from Akihiko's hold. But the novelist only tightened his grip around the other until Takahiro let out a loud howl, squirming with pain under Akihiko's blistering grasp.

Misaki's head suddenly snapped upwards, obviously shaken out of his absent state by his brother's deafening whimpers.

"Stop it!" the boy shouted, grabbing his lover's arm with the little force that remained in his numbed limbs, causing Akihiko to awake from the madness clouding his mind. The moment he turned his head he was looking into frightened, pleading, emerald orbs and froze between his actions. For a moment he glanced swiftly at his hand that had paled from the forceful grasp. He had not been aware of how much he was hurting the male before him until he perceived Misaki's terrified expression, as if the novelist was a madman, a monster. He let go of Takahiro's arm immediately as if he had been burned from the touch, inching backwards in shock. What had just happened?

Takahiro held his arm with his other hand, trying to ease the pain rushing through his limb with each breath. He looked at Akihiko, then towards Misaki.

"I won't go. I can't," the boy stated desperately with grief in his eyes, clenching his fists to stop his tears from falling. Takahiro watched his brother for a long time before uttering a deep sigh, disappointment reflecting in his narrowed orbs.

"So be it."

He then turned on his heels, signaling Manami to follow him. She obeyed without any protest and together they marched towards the exit, not uttering a single word.

The door slammed shut. Silence. Unbearable, long-stretched emptiness conquered the air, their ears, their hearts. Only the heavy rain witnessed the incident as it proceeded to drum on the windows. And once again, the boy wept unstoppable amounts of tears. For himself, for his brother and, even if the male would never cry, for Akihiko.

Takahiro was gone and he would not retutn for a long time.

xxx

The rain continued to pour down as the couple left the building. Takahiro didn't mind the droplets of water falling upon him, there was nothing that could have ruined his day even more than what had happened minutes ago. Just what was his brother thinking? Sure, Akihiko was a reliable person and loyal friend, but how could Misaki be in a relationship with him, a man?

'_Mother and father in heaven, please forgive my little brother's decision,_' he thought, looking up into the sky hidden beneath thick clouds. A faint light caught his attention, the only one on top of rows of dark windows. He kept staring at it for a while, knowing whose apartment it belonged to.

"Darling, please, let's just go home," Manami pleaded at some point, a light hand resting on her husband's shoulder. Takahiro adverted his gaze from the apartment to look at his wife properly. Sorrow marred her beautiful face, her usually bright eyes full of sadness. The man knew he had hurt his love as much as the others by showing a side of himself nobody had ever seen before. And he hated it as much as they did, but it had been the result of his brother's revelations, and probably even his own stubbornness, to be honest. Maybe he had overreacted a little. Maybe he was the only one thinking his brother being happy with Akihiko was wrong...

He would need some time to think everything over, but for now, what he desired the most was his comfortable bed at home, forgetting all and everything while drifting into blessed sleep.

Sighing out loudly, he gave the building one last glance to witness the only source of light on the glass wall disappear.

"Yeah, let's go."

xxx

Akihiko could not bear watching his love cry on the floor any longer. He knelt down before his fiancé, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Ssh, it's over. Everything is okay," he whispered into Misaki's ear, attempting to ease his pain.

The brunet suddenly pulled Akihiko away from him. "Nothing is okay! My brother won't talk to me for the rest of his life! But the worst of it all is that he won't talk to _you_ as well! And everything is my fault! If only I had the courage to tell him earlier, then..." More tears welled up in his eyes. "How can you act like nothing has happened? I know you still care about my brother and- eh?"

Misaki fell silent when the silver-haired male coiled his strong arms around the boy once again, refusing to let him go.

"Really, still thinking of my feelings when you have been hurt the most." He planted a light kiss on the boy's forehead, a faint tug playing with the corner of his lips. "It is true that I still care about Takahiro. However, there is someone more precious and important to me now." Misaki lifted his head, looking deeply into a pair of sincere, lavender orbs. "Misaki, you are my everything. And regardless of how this will turn out, I'll always be beside you, no matter what."

Tears pooled on the wooden floor as the boy's eyes continued to leak. "I know," he whispered hardly audible, but it was loud enough for the male resting half a heartbeat away from him.

Akihiko took his fiancé's hand into his, guiding delicate digits to his lips before placing a sweet kiss on top of the brunet's engagament ring. Then again on his forhead, then his swollen eyes, brushing past his reddened cheeks to catch his soft lips. The kiss was deep, yet gentle, taking the boy's very breath away, making his limbs feel like jelly under his lover's delightful touch. Before the brunet knew what was happening, the novelist carried him towards the couch, laying him down into velveteen cushions. The next moment Akihiko was towering above the boy, leaning down to attack the other's mouth once again. However, this time his kiss became untamed, a dominating tongue battling against his lover's passionately. Much to the male's surprise Misaki was not attempting to struggle like he usually would, snaking two feeble arms around Akihiko's neck to pull his lover closer to him.

"Misaki... I'll never let anyone hurt you," the novelist whispered between their feverish kisses. Soon unnecessary clothes were removed and one heated chest pressed against another, curious hands exploring the other's familiar body automatically. Akihiko's digits landed on the boy's chest, brushing two erect nipples tenderly. Misaki panted shallow gasps when the novelist began to rock his hips back and forth, rubbing against the boy's hardening member while feeling his own dick throbbing with need.

Because he wanted to forget, because he _needed_ to forget, the brunet repeated in his mind several times. Only then he managed to surpress his embarassment, moving himself in harmony with the other. He parted his legs slowly, encouraging his lover to touch him where he wanted it the most. He was breathing heavily as Akihiko broke away from their passionate kiss to lick his own fingers from base to tip, those dominating eyes never breaking eye-contact. Misaki shivered when a cold digit met his pink entrance, one slick index finger circling around the boy's tight hole.

"Ah..." When he suddenly felt something entering his bottom, rubbing against his inner walls as it went even deeper, a jolt of pleasure ran across his spine, making him tingle from head to toe. The number of fingers inside him increased after some time, his throbbing cock leaking as the male tasted the boy's hardened flesh. Misaki was lost, not able to form a proper thought anymore as his own hands tangled in silver hair, the male's strategy of taking the boy's mind off their current troubles seeming to work.

But suddenly something inside Misaki tensed and he stopped his actions, a choked sob escaping his throat, frightening Akihiko for a brief moment.

"Misaki?"

They sat up on the sofa, the novelist not being able to utter a single word as his lover began to cry again.

"I can't do this. I can't."

Akihiko rose his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"He mentioned my parents earlier, and that gave me the the feeling as if I was committing a serious crime. They wouldn't have agreed to all this, I know. That's the reason my brother is against our marriage, not only out of his own interest, but also because he knows better than me how mum and dad would have reacted. I don't want to disappoint him, he is the only family I have left and I don't want to lose him, too! And-" He snuffled for a moment before continuing. "What about you? Wouldn't it harm your career if someone discovered that you were married to a guy?"

Akihiko put his hands on the boy's trembling shoulders. "Misaki. _Misaki._ Relax."

But the brunet couldn't keep himself from weeping. "This is not fair. It's like everyone is trying to put obstacles in our way, trying to tear us apart."

It became painfully quiet inside the apartment, the only sound being Misaki's gut-wrenching sobs.

"I just don't want to cause you any trouble, Usagi-san..."

Now the male began to understand what was bothering the boy so much. He pulled his lover as close as possible to himself, inhaling the sweet scent surrounding his body, his hair. "You could never cause me trouble, you should know that. And who cares about what other people had to say about my private life if they discovered it? If you weren't so cautious about other people's thoughts I would have told the entire world about us long time ago." Misaki's sobs subsided to a faint sniffle as the male continued to speak into the other's ear.

"Misaki, I have spent my whole life in my own world without permitting anyone else entry. I've spent my youth chasing after someone who was not even aware of my feelings. But then I met _you_, and suddenly my whole world turned upside down. And it turned for the better. It still does because every other day I spend with you feels like a precious gift, and there are no words to tell you how much you make me happy."

He took a deep breath before proceeding. "My point is, Misaki, that I want to spend the rest of my life with you because _I love you_. And I don't care how many people will stand in our way, let them come. As long as I have you beside me, I am not afraid of anyone." His words came from the bottom of his heart, and Misaki knew that. And without him noticing those words managed to wash away the doubts that had tortured the boy for so long. The brunet slid his arms around the other's chest once more, holding him tightly.

"Thank you."

Akihiko withdrew himself mere inches to look at his fiancé properly, leaning his forehead against the other's while losing himself in those forest green eyes. Misaki's eyes fluttered shut, a small gasp escaping his open mouth. The novelist didn't hesitate to grant the boy's unspoken wish, breathing on his full lips before claiming them desperately. Without restraint Misaki leaned into the kiss, guiding his fingers through silver hair, pulling it lightly every now and then.

Akihiko left a warm trail where he touched Misaki. Resting his hands on his lover's slim hips, he guided the boy into his lap. Misaki coiled his legs around the male tightly, crossing his ankles behind the other's back. The male suddenly lifted the surprised brunet before, without a warning, he entered Misaki's tight hole, slowly lowering his fiancé into his lap until his own dick was buried deep inside the boy.

At first Misaki hissed painfully, but after Akihiko placed a few well-placed thrusts inside the young male, his facial features began to soften, his eyes closed in pure bliss. "Ah... Usagi-san!" The novelist tightened his grip around his lover's sides and buried his fingernails in the other's flesh lightly, pushing him up and down in his lap. Their blazing lips met one more time, grinding against each other until they were bruised, two velveteen tongues battling against each other fiercely. Akihiko dominated the boy completely, rasping sweet nothings into the other's ravaged mouth.

"Misaki, I will protect you, always."

The male hit something inside Misaki each time he plunged harder and deeper into the boy, making him shout in ecstasy as lust rose inside him exponentially. His instinctual drive for pleasure took over Misaki after some time and he started rocking his hips up and down, elicting a throaty grunt from the male he was riding.

"Ngh-" Akihiko sped up as he felt the boy's fleshy walls tighten around his throbbing cock, ready to explode any second. His lover's moans and gasps became fiercer along with his heartbeat until he came, a thick glob of ivory fluid splattering across his stomache as his body shook violently from his hard orgasm. The silver-haired male failed to control himself anymore, emptying what he had build up during that moment deep inside the boy, filling his insides completely as he called his lover's name countless times.

The rain lasted the whole night as Akihikko continued to become one with Misaki, gently holding him all night long until they fell asleep exhausted in each other's arms on the couch, the male gingerly cradling one tired Misaki who was not able to shed any more tears.

xxx

The next morning Takahiro woke up with a pounding headache. The sun was too bright, blending his eyes so he kept them shut tightly, groaning loudly into his pillow.

He just wanted to stay in his bed after what had happened the day before. Not only because he was suffering from a pretty bad hangover after emptying a whole bottle of wine by himself, but also because he found it difficult to recall the events of the previous night. His brother's decision still bothered him, causing his skull to ache even more every time he thought about it. And no matter how many times he asked himself all the 'hows' and 'whys' and 'buts' he couldn't find a satisfying answer, and that made him even more frustrated.

He turned on his back, resting his arm on his pounding forehead. Blinking rapidly, he attempted to get rid of the sleep in his eyes, breathing out a discontent sigh.

'_What a mess,_' he thought.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

The bedroom door flew open and a little girl with chocolate curls stormed inside. She jumped atop her father's chest, knocking out the air in his lungs.

"Wakey up or I be late!" she shrieked, climbing off Takahiro only to start bouncing on the mattress excitedly. As if his daughter's assault wasn't enough, suddenly another child bursted into the room, mirroring his sibling's actions.

"We're late! We're late!" the boy repeated. Takahiro attempted to steady himself, spotting his wife standing in the doorframe with her arms crossed and a smile on her lips.

"Mother brought them back here a while ago," she answered Takahiro's unspoken question. "You promised to take them to kindergarten today, remember?"

The male scratched his nose with a sheepish expression. "Ahaha... almost forgot about that. But aren't you guys already too old for that place?" he asked jokingly, quickly taking his children in tow. They ended up in a tickling fight afterwards, bursting out with laughter while Manami watched the heartwarming scene with amusement.

"Would you be so kind and pick them up later as well? I have to go grocery shopping after work,"she added, folding her hands in a begging manner.

The male nodded his head reassuringly. "Sure. And after that we can all go eat some ice cream, right?" He addressed the kids resting by his side. Mahiro and Saya cheered in unison, their adorable eyes sparkling with excitement for the word 'ice cream'.

"And then we can all go to Unagi-san to pway!"

Takahiro's smile dropped a little. He knew that his wife was feeling the same way without looking in her direction.

"Sweetie," Takahiro started. "Your daddy and Usagi-san had a little argument so we won't be able to see each other for some time." Even though the disappointment in his children's face was unbearable, he just couldn't help it. The shock of their engagement still rested unforgettably in his chest, like a blunt knife stabbed through his heart.

"Why don't we let daddy get dressed while we prepare breakfast?" Manami stated, quickly changing the subject. The children hopped out of the bed, running past their mother into the kitchen with laughter. ("I'll be first!" "No! Me first!") She then stepped further into the room, placing herself on the edge of the bed next to her husband, her long, silky hair pooling atop the covers. Takahiro's hand tingled when he felt gentle, delicate digits brush past his own, tracing along nonexistent lines and circles.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.

The male sighed aloud. "I don't know. My head hurts like hell and my chest feels as if something has been torn out of it."

Manami's slender digits laced through her husband's, the ring on her finger leaving a cool spot on Takahiro's skin. "You just need some time to think everything over. All of us do." She gave her husband a reassuring smile. "Everything came so unexpected, but your little brother must be suffering as much as you do. So why don't you try to talk to him and Akihiko-san again? I'm sure things will straighten out over time."

The man glanced at their connected hands. "Hm, it's easier said than done. You've seen yourself what kind of act I put on yesterday. I'm sure they don't want to talk to me for a while." A small pout formed on his quivering lips. "Maybe I'm the only one being against the marriage, after all..."

"You're worried about your little brother, that's all," she commented. "Besides, Misaki-kun should have told you earlier about his relationship, right?" She hesitated for a second, chuckling lighty. "Although it was pretty obvious if you ask me. I mean come on, living in the same apartment for so many years and not even thinking of looking for a girlfriend? That _was_ kind of suspicious, don't you think?"

Takahiro furrowed his brows, his pout gaining more effect with each passing second. "So you're telling me I am the only person who didn't get it? That's so mean!"

Manami halfheartedly rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately yes, my dear. My poor, naïve, clueless husband."

"Hey! Now you're really being mean!" The male crossed his arms, earning a love tap from the brunette. They giggled softly for a while until Takahiro decided to change his clothes, pushing his protesting wife outside who suddenly seemed to be a lot nicer to her husband only to stay inside the bedroom. Apparently, she was persistent on receiving a glimpse of an unclothed version of Takahiro.

"Maybe I can let the children stay at my parents for one more night?" she purred before the male threw her out, letting out seducing sounds while carrying a tempting grin on his lips the whole time. When Takahiro finally shut the door, the woman shook her head with a faint snicker.

'_That was a clear 'yes', I suppose._'

xxx

Akihiko's red sports car came to a halt before Marukawa Publishing with a loud squeak. Misaki was still emotionally exhausted from the night before, so the novelist had decided to drive him to work after the boy had refused to call the company and stay at home.

The male leaned to his side, planting a loving kiss on the other's forehead.

"Are you sure? I could talk to Isaka-san if you wish." He looked utterly worried, his brows furrowed slightly in concern. Misaki simply shook his head.

"I... I just don't know if that's a good idea anymore. Marriage, I mean."

The silver-haired male remained silent for a while, looking deeply into his fiancé's eyes, trying to find a deeper meaning in his statement before slowly letting out a deep sigh.

"How about we meet during your lunch break? Then we can talk everything over, if you want."

Misaki let his eyes wander outside, nodding absently.

Yes, they needed to talk.

xxx

"Daddy, don't leave me 'lone!"

The little girl started weeping, thick pearls of salty water rolling down her puffed cheeks as she clung desperately onto said male's trousers. Some children seemed untroubled, proceeding to play with toy cars or drawing doodles in smaller groups, laying flatly on the bright PVC floor. Others looked into her direction with empathising eyes, knowing how she was feeling since all of them had been left here by their parents.

Really, it was like this whenever Takahiro brought his children to kindergarten. Fortunately, Mahiro claimed himself to be too old to cry anymore, storming inside happily every time they entered the building, eager to meet up with his little friends. But his little sister had only just started visiting the daycare center and every time her father would attempt to leave she'd burst out crying aloud.

Takahiro crouched down next to his daughter, patting her soft hair gingerly. "Saya, I told you I'll be back in the afternoon, right? How many times do we have to get through this?" he wailed in a low tone. "Look, you go inside and play with your new friends for now and you'll be surprised how fast I'll be back. All right?"

The girl stamped her feet in protest. "I don't wannaaa!"

The male let out a frustrating sigh, slowly lifting himself up again. "I'm terribly sorry! Normally she listens to what I tell her," he apologized to the nursery worker who was carrying an empathising smile.

"It's normal for newcomers to be shy during the first month. But you know what?" She looked down at Saya who observed the woman with big, watery eyes and a small pout on her lips. "There's gonna be another girl coming in today and since you're both new, why don't you try to befriend her? Ah, look! There she comes."

The door slid open and a girl with big, deep blue eyes hopped inside. She was wearing a ruched dress that matched her adorable orbs, her curly, fair hair tied into a long ponytail, swinging from left to right as she bounced happily towards the party.

"You must be the new one! We've been waiting for you!" the woman chirped happily. "Where are your parents?"

The child gave her a wide grin, revealing a gap where she had lost her first baby tooth. "They're parking the car outside!" she announced with her head held high, as if she was the offspring of Her Majesty herself. Then,with the same grace she turned towards Saya who had been distracted from her constant weeping by the mysterious girl.

"Hi, I'm Emily," she squeaked, stretching out her tiny hand. Saya hesitated for a moment before shaking the outstretched digits with her own, carrying a small frown in her young face.

"E-mi-ri?"

"Nooo, it's _Emily_! With an L!" She attempted to demonstrate the young girl how to pronounce said letter, sticking out her tongue in the process. "And what's your name?"

"... Saya," the other mumbled shyly, twisting her foot back and forth on the floor.

Emily placed her index finger on her lips, creating the impression of being in deep thoughts before she presented the latter her most adorable smile.

"That's a really nice name," she stated, to what Saya finally managed to bring out a small giggle. "You wanna go play?"

"Un!" The brunette gave her a brief nod and together they stormed into the doll corner hand in hand, proceeding to play bride and groom.

Takahiro watched the event with sheer amusement. Judging by her vocabulary, the girl had to be about one year older than his own daughter. Her name revealed that she was not of Japanese ancestry, but that mattered little to the male. It was a wonderful feeling to know that Saya was making herself new friends so quickly.

"I wanna pway Bawbie!" Saya exclaimed, guiding a fair-haired Barbara clad in white with both hands while the other was occupied squeezing one naked Ken into a suit.

"Daddy says that Barbie is boring! You can play that other Ken over there so he can get married with my Ken!" She pointed her small index finger towards a corner, where a lonely doll was laying on the ground.

The brunette wrinkled her nose in confusion, how were two male dolls supposed to get married? "But Bawbie has to mawwy Ken because Ken can't mawwy Ken!"

"Yes, they can! Daddy and Papa also got married, so Ken can marry another Ken too!"

Takahiro couldn't hear what the two girls were talking about, but Saya's amused expression was all he needed to see. Reajusting his glasses, he turned on his heels, ready to leave for work.

"_Emily! My little princess~_!" A small young male suddenly entered the playroom, sing-songing the girl's name in English. He had coal black hair and deep forest green eyes, clad in a tight muscle shirt that enhanced the colour of his irises, and torn blue jeans. He beamed a wide grin the moment he spotted Emily who immediately put her doll aside, pacing towards the man with quick steps.

"_Papaaa!_" she exclaimed, running straight into her father's arms who lifted her up, laughing along with his daughter thrown over his shoulder.

"Johnny! Wait for me!" another voice called. Another male dressed in a beige-colored suit walked past the door breathlessly, his long, bleached hair swaying from one direction to another as he approached the others, ice blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"_Daddy! Daddy! Look! I found a new friend to play with!_" The girl chirped, pointing a finger into the corner she had been playing seconds ago. Saya looked at them with mixed feelings, not understanding what they were talking about since she hadn't even learned how to say 'hello' and 'goodbye' in English.

Curiosity tingled inside Takahiro as he approached the two males. He adressed the shorter one who was still carrying the young girl in his arms.

"Are you, by any chance, Emily's father?"

The dark-haired man beamed at Takahiro, stretching out his hand happily. "My name is John, and this _handsome_ male beside me is my partner Lawrence.

"Oh, so he is your co-worker?" Takahiro stated.

John began to chuckle lightly. "Ah, sorry if I said something wrong. My Japanese is not so well, you know. What I wanted to say is that he is my husband."

Oh, in that case...

Wait.

"H-Husband?" Takahiro stammered. "O-Oh! T-That's... uh... wonderful!" Great, another pair of homos the male thought sarcastically. Really, why was he surrounded by those kind of people all of a sudden? They seemed to appear out of nowhere lately, and Takahiro had to think of his little brother for the second time this day. And the morning had begun to take a turn for the better for him, that was not fair at all!

The couple shared an intimate glimpse at each other before Lawrence continued. "We moved here several weeks ago. We used to live in America but I've been transferred to another company in Japan and now here we are!" he chirped happily. "Tokyo is such a beautiful city and has such a child-friendly environment! It's only been three weeks and Emily is already beside herself with joy after visiting the sights! Am I right, _my little princess?_" John added with delight to what the little girl nodded hysterically.

"And there are so many handsome men around here," Lawrence purred, eyeing Takahiro who felt slightly uncomfortable for unknown reasons. "Oh, forgive me my behaviour, I haven't given you the chance to tell us your name," he breathed into the confused male's ear, suddenly standing slightly too close to the latter.

"T-Takahashi Takahiro," the male answered, thinking that the other must have gotten something in his eye as he let his long eyelashes flutter into Takahiro's direction multiple times.

"That's a cute name for a _very_ cute person," John stated after letting go of his daughter who had run off towards her new friend immediately. He was as close to Takahiro as his partner now, guiding one slender digit down the male's strong shoulder, past well-build arm muscles and all the way upwards again.

"Say honey, aren't you feeling hungry all of a sudden?" John asked his husband who gave him a tempting smile, knowing exactly what the male was hinting at.

"Yes, indeed! But what should we eat? Hmm... Oh, I know! How about one big, delicious sandwich?"

"What a wonderful idea, dear! A delicious sandwich with _lots_ of meat on it... what do you think?" They directed their eyes towards Takahiro who was standing between both males, not having a clue why they were talking about food in such a secretive manner.

The brunet reajusted his glasses for probably the hundredth time this morning. "Well, there's a very good sandwich joint right around the corner," he suggested. "I could show you the way, if you want to."

"Thank you so much, but," Lawrence begun, slowly inching closer towards the male, making Takahiro feel even more uncomfortable with each second. "I'd prefer a delicious, self-made sandwich and rather devour it at home. Snack bars are just way too crowded, don't you think so?"

John simply hummed with approval, never averting his gaze from the cute male who was standing merely one breath away from him. "Say Takahiro-kun, why don't you accompany us to our modest little house? I'm sure we could have _lots_ of fun... making sandwiches, of course."

"Uh... Thank you very much for the offer, but I've already had breakfast this morning. Besides, I have to leave for work soon." Takahiro stepped out of the middle with a sheepish expression, watching the couple look disappointed.

"What a shame," the dark-haired male mourned. "But maybe another time, yeah?" He gifted the male with a brief wink, his husband mirroring his actions.

"S-Sure." Takahiro shook both male's hands once again before waving his occupied daughter goodbye, leaving the building with mixed feelings. He suddenly felt like somebody was playing a joke on him, as if somebody had gathered all homosexuals around the world to appear around the male, making him feel even more uncomfortable than usual. '_But... these guys were kind of nice__,_' he thought. '_Maybe a little incomprehensible, considering their cryptic way of expressing themselves. Must be some American thing we don't understand in Japan._' Besides, somebody who had just invited him to his home even though they had only known each other for several minutes simply couldn't be a bad person, right?

Still, they were a _gay_ couple, what reminded him of certain other people Takahiro stubbornly continued to be mad at. If they had told him from the beginning what was going on, like the kind two gentlemen from before, maybe he wouldn't have overreacted that night. He was, after all, a reasonable man.

With these thoughts in mind he seated himself inside his car before driving off to work, hoping that his little brother would realise his mistake very soon and come back to him before the situation escalated even further.

xxx

"A coffe, please. And a strawberry cake for him."

The waitress quickly scribbled the order on her notepad, keeping her longing eyes on the handsome novelist all the time. "Is there anything else you want?" Like her phone number or address, for example? But when the silver-haired male simply shook his head, ignoring the way the woman leaned forward to present what was hiding beneath her low-cut neckline while she let her long eyelashes flutter, her beautiful face became marred with frustration. Without saying another word, she disappeared into the kitchen before returning with a full dinner tray, silently leaving one cup and plate on the table before returning to her duties.

The couple simply sat there for a while, not bothering to make a single move. The café they had decided to meet at was overly crowded since everyone's lunch break had begun at the same time. The couple had been lucky to find an empty spot where they could talk without getting disturbed, however, they hadn't exchanged more than a single 'hello' until then. It was Akihiko who finally broke the silence, lifting the steaming cup with one hand before taking a brief sip, watching as Misaki merely picked at the delicious cake, absently rolling the strawberry on top of the cream-coated surface with his fork.

"Misaki, look" Akihiko started in a low tone, not knowing at all where to even _begin_, how to handle the whole situation. "If our marriage makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, we could simply delay the wedding, if that is your wish. My only concern is your well-being."

There it was again. Misaki couldn't understand how the male kept worrying himself sick about him when they were both equally affected from the current circumstances. Akihiko had suffered not less than the boy, and yet...

"Why are you doing this?"

"...What do you mean?" The novelst arched one eyebrow confused.

"Why do you keep being so kind to me when I don't even deserve it?" He ignored the way his voice was quavering at that very moment. "Don't you realize where this conversation is leading?"

"Then what are you intending to do?"

Misaki opened and closed his mouth several times, attempting to find a good answer. "I don't know!" he finally bursts out.

Massaging the bridge of his nose, the silver-haired male drew a long breath, cursing whoever had prohibited smoking in public buildings as he seriously needed a cigarette at this instant. Letting out a deep sigh he finally stated the truth that both denied.

"You know, I believe it would be for the better if we simply cancelled the wed-"

"Misaki?"

Another voice suddenly interrupted their conversation and Akihiko turned around to see whoever it was. His eyes uncontrollably narrowed into thin slits the moment he recognized the person standing behind him.

"S-Sumi senpai?" Misaki exclaimed, his expression suddenly changing from despair into a happy, albeit surprised smile. "How long has it been?"

"Far too long to remember," the male answered, seating himself next to the boy without even bothering to ask, glancing several times at Akihiko who was eyeing him suspiciously. They began to talk about what had happened in the past few years after their graduation, about their jobs and future plans while the novelist quietly sipped his coffee, watching the scene with little interest.

"So, I see you guys managed to stay together after so many years," Sumi commented at some point. "Isn't it getting rather bothersome to be in a relationship for so long?"

Misaki chuckled flatly at his college friend's joke. "There are always some difficulties that keep our relationship alive and healthy," he commented with thick sarcasm, dramatically rolling his eyes.

The male arched a curious eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Simply put, my brother discovered the truth and didn't seem to be very pleased about it." The boy's shoulders were hanging lowly, his head bowed gloomily.

"Really? But it is kind of understandable, don't you think? I mean, you've been keeping it a secret for all these years, I'm sure he was just shocked about the fact that you haven't told him earlier."

Misaki looked at the male with a sheepish expression. "Uh, well, actually he didn't freak out only because of that." When Sumi gave the brunet an encouraging nod to continue, Misaki absently traced the ring on his finger with delicate digits. "You see, Usagi-san and I decided to get married, and..."

And suddenly, all of his arguments with Akihiko seemed pointless because here he was, grinning like a silly girl at the mere thought of marrying his beloved, making his heart flutter with excitement. And he realized that it didn't matter who or what was standing in their way anymore, even if it was his big brother because Akihiko would also become part of his family soon, if it was even possible for the male to become a more important component of his life than he already was. Besides, Takahiro had never been the type of person to sulk over something for a long time and he had to talk to Misaki again _eventually_, he was his beloved little brother, after all. All that was left for Misaki to do for now was to enjoy his last moments of carrying the name Takahashi before it would change to Usami. And speaking of Usami, he knew he had to stop doubting everything because it was making Akihiko visibly sad.

"Is that so?" his senpai's voice brought him back to reality where a shocked Sumi and a stunned Akihiko were observing the boy intensively. "Well then, I suppose I should be congratulating you guys!" The male flashed Misaki a gentle smile, his eyes hidden beneath his mirroring spectacles. The boy returned the gesture, grinning happily into the male's direction.

"Oh, how time flies!" Sumi suddenly stated, briefly glancing at his watch. "My lunchtime is about to end so I should probably return to my office now. Maybe we could meet again some other time?"

"Uh, sure!" the boy nodded, pleased that his senpai was eager to keep in touch with him. "You still have our number?"

The male slowly rose from his seat. "I believe I should still have it stored somewhere. Well then, see you another time. Misaki, _Akihiko-sensei,_" he glanced down at the novelist, not receiving an answer. There was a certain sound in his voice Misaki could not quite put a finger on, but he probably just imagined things. The male turned on his heels and left without another word.

Misaki retrieved his phone from his jeans pocket to keep the time in view. "Woah, I'm gonna be late for work!" he exclaimed, jumping from his chair in record time. However, before he could storm out of the building, Akihiko stood up and caught his right hand, squeezing it lightly.

"Misaki... What will we do about this situation?" he asked hesitantly, not knowing if he wanted to know the answer or not. He was surprised when the brunet simply shook his head, smiling.

"Don't worry about it, it'll work out somehow."

And then a grin crept up his face, his lips revealing two rows of pearly white teeth. "You mean-"

"I already said 'yes' to you once, there is no way to take that back anymore, right?" Misaki's eyes glowed as he said out those words, and for a moment Akihiko thought he was standing on top of the world again. Never in his life had it been so difficult for the male to restrain himself from embracing his beloved here and now. He kept in mind to properly express his gratitute to his fiancé later when they were at home, without people surrounding them to witness the rather intimate act that would follow afterwards.

* * *

**A/N: **I simply can't express my gratitude to all who have been so kind to leave me a review: sekhoya990, Katia27, xxBloodxStainedxAngelxx, SuzukiChiyeko, ashurikun, SweetBlackay, phsycotic fruitloop and nike2822. You guys rock my world! *hugs everyone*

OoC-ness:

Takahiro: I am angsting about all and everything!

Manami: And I am just standing behind my husband and being all useless!

Akihiko: I'm acting all hero-like!

Misaki: I'm whining like a little bitch!

*Awkward silence*

Takahiro: I won't let you marry a guy because mum and dad wouldn't want that! Even if they can't do much about it because they are kind of dead.

Misaki: They told me everything! They told me you killed our parents!

Takahiro: No... I am your father! ... And mother, for some reason.

*dramatical gasps everywhere*

Akihiko: I'll break your limb if you dare to touch Misaki!

Takahiro: Hah! I still have one more arm even IF you do that!

Akihiko: I'm talking about your _other_ limb.

Manami: NOOOO! I REFUSE!

*escaping sounds*

Akihiko: Well, now that they are gone... IT'S SMEXING TIME!

Misaki: Not if I can angst about everything...

Takahiro: I AM IN DENIAL AND TOTALLY DON'T REALIZE WHEN SOMEBODY FLIRTS WITH ME!

John: Let's make a threesome! -Uh... I meant a sandwich, of course!

John: With lots of meat on it...

John: And mayonnaise... *drools*

Akihiko: Misaki doesn't want to eat his cake... THE WORLD IS ENDING!

Misaki: Moar stupid angsting FTW!

Sumi: Don't mind me randomly showing up in this chapter. I'm totally not gonna try to do anything bad in the future or something... MWAHAHAHAHAHA! *dramatic music playing in the background*

~Ichigo


End file.
